Dream of Mirror
by TIBryant
Summary: AU Shounenai MelloNear SPOILERS When Near is dropped into the lap of a supposedly 'mirrored' reality, he's all to quick to believe that it's all just a dream... until he runs into a certain blonde, who is supposed to be dead. Complete!
1. Mirror Mirror

**Dream of Mirror**

**Ice-Puppet**

**Death Note**

**Pairing; **Mello/Near

**Warnings**; Shounen-ai, boy/boy love, cursing, spoilers for real names, AU, a little bit of oocness

**Authors notes**; Welcome, I'm Ice-Puppet. I recently began playing an online game called Dream of Mirror online. After playing it a few days, the idea to write a story based on it popped into my head... Dream of Mirror has a quite interesting plot and I realized it would make quite a good story. After a while I decided to write a Death Note fanfiction based on it- I adore Death Note and I love writing Mello and Near.

**Author note 2**; This story is based 4.9 years after the end of death note; making Near around 22 years old. He acts a bit out of character in this story, but I maintain the idea that after almost 5 years people change, especially after losing everyone that they know / care for.

Many different plains co-exist with the one you think you know.

Each choice you make, each step you take creates a different world, countless words bending in moving together in a flow of time. What you think is reality may not be reality else where, things can vary from simple choices – you decide to take a left instead of a right – to big ones – you decide to say yes instead of no.

None of these worlds cross paths.

Each and every world has a mirrored universe, a place to swirl together everything and make it bond. A place just like your own- this mirrored world co-exists with the real world, never straying from the path its real counter part takes. If anything were to go wrong in this world, the consequences could be the unweaving of time and existence.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what has begun to happen.

The creatures of this mirrored universe have begun to act out- they've begun to attack villagers of their own accord. Unfortunately, this has lead to the creatures of this mirrored plain losing all power. It is just as we have feared – things have begun to unravel, people have begun to disappear. The people of this mirrored world are suffering… I can only imagine what has happened to their real counter parts.

Our people are weakened and can not fight back against these monsters. First, we must focus on protecting our own before we can try and set the world back to right.

In order to fight the war against these monsters, we will need outside help. Myself and the other nine mirror kings have gathered our strength together in order to pull two individuals into our own world, to protect it. We do hate to force our war upon someone else… believe me, this is a last resort.

We've chosen two individuals because in our years of ruling we have learned that the best protecting is the protection of love. Two souls mates, when brought together, can be unstoppable. But, unfortunately, when pulled apart, they are at their weakest.

Our strongest two kings were chosen to pull these two into our plain. I, myself, was one of the chosen two. The abilities of four of our other kings were passed onto me, before they four hid themselves in order to protect their weakened selves from the creatures. The same is true of my fellow summoner and her four kings.

Unfortunately, our attempt to summon had failed. We had managed to latch on to two individuals, but their connected string was tainted… torn. At first we could not figure out why, but now I realize our mistake… still, we cannot go back now. Perhaps this torn thread can be mended? If not… we are all doomed.

--

The last thing he could remember was a screech of tires.

It hadn't been his fault. Of course not. Some drunken idiot, most likely, running a stop sign. He could distinctly remember a "walk" symbol being displayed across that busy street. Green and blinking, mixed with that awful _chirp chirp chirp _they'd inserted for the blind. Not a hard destination to reach, a simple cross walk like a million others. If he believed in fate he would say it was cruel, his stepping out at that very moment, the timing of a drunken individual. Everyone had a day to die, right? The Shinigami eyes proved that… a life span. A specific death date. No way to avoid it, that's the harsh truth.

But if this was death, then where was the pain? He hadn't felt the car collide with his body, hadn't felt his insides shoved through his outsides. There had merely been that sound, then darkness. Death couldn't be that painless, could it? Then, on top of that- he had never believed in Heaven or Hell, or any sort of afterlife. This couldn't be those, there was no possible way such things could exist.

So where _was _he?

Forcing his heavy eyelids open as he pulled himself to his feet, he found himself in the center of what looked to be a small village. Strangely, although he appeared to be laying on the ground in this new place, no one was around… he doubted that this place was deserted, considering a nearby fire burned as if it had just been started.

"Nate River."

The sound of his own name caught his attention, causing him to turn and look toward the one who had spoken.

A young looking man, perhaps around his own age, stood a few feet from him. His long black hair spilled across his back and shoulders, pulled away from his pale face and silver eyes. He was dressed strangely, like an emperor in China might dress. Golden layers of robes, hanging down off of his slender body- hair dawn up in braids and loops.

However, while this dress is very interesting, there's something much more important on his mind.

"How do you know my name?"

As far as he knew, few people knew his name. L had known it and had taken that knowledge with him to the grave. The memory would have rested at him if it hadn't been for the Shinigami eyes and Mikami Teru- thanks to him, four Japanese police officers and three of his own men knew a secret that so much effort had to put into covering up.

So how was it a stranger in a strange place could know his name?

"Don't appear so surprised," the young man informed, his voice flat and devoid of feeling. Stupid words for him to say, of course- they'd obviously never met, he would remember someone dressed like this, so of course it would surprise him. "I know your name because it is I that summoned you here."

While he'd met a creature that most of the population would deny exists, he was not very open to anything paranormal. Perhaps if, between the four point nine years of Kira's death and this strange occurrence, he had met some other paranormal creature, or come across a scenario like the one of the Shinigami, he might be more open to such things. But he'd only been proven wrong once in his life time (well, twice, but that second thing has nothing to do with this situation) when it came to the paranormal.

"Where is this place?" Another quick glance around showed that the people of this village had finally begun to notice his appearance. A few young children were poking their heads out of their front doors, before their parents shooed them back inside. He turned his attention back to the strange man before him. "And why would you 'summon' me here?"

"This is a mirror world," the man explained. A strange answer. Mirror world? He's heard of stories that mention such things. "It is supposed to be an exact mirror to its real counter part… but recently the monsters have been acting up and because of that, this world has begun to crumble. I wish I could tell you what is happening to its real counter part… but whenever we glance into our mirrors we see nothing." A pause, as if waiting for a question, before he continued. "Let me explain… there are infinite worlds, infinite realities. Each of these realities has a mirrored world to keep it in balance… we creatures of the mirrored world are supposed to stay in complete harmony with our real counter parts, or devastating things may happen. However the creatures here are rebelling, attacking without warning, changing things. Because of that, the threads of existence between us and our counter part have begun to unweave… all of the people here have lost their magic and fighting abilities. We are unable to defend ourselves against this war. This is where you come in, Nate."

"Call me Near," he replied instantly, hating the sound of his own name. He hadn't heard that word spoken since his mother's death.

"Near," the man repeated, as if testing out the word. "Alright, Near you shall be."

Only after this agreement did Near decide to take in everything that had just been said. The idea of infinite existences and mirrored worlds was not a stretch, considering that there would be no way for him to disprove it. Creatures of a mirror world rebelling against their real-world counterparts isn't unbelievable as well… living only to copy someone else sounds fairly annoying, he supposes he can't blame them for acting out. The 'threads of existence' and all that sounds perhaps a bit off, but again he has no way to disprove it.

But where does he come in?

"Continue your explanation." Not a question, more of a demand. Near is perhaps used to always getting his way… spoiled. Always number one, always on top. No one had ever attempted to defy him… well, no one save for _him_. But that was another time, a memory amongst many. A feeling he had forced himself to push away years ago.

"I will answer any more of the questions that you have when you find_him_," The man informed, glancing past Near and to a man who had begun to step out of his house…

Well, not really step. More like… _float_?

"Him?" Near questioned. One word, not much to go on.

"You'll know him when you see him," he responded. Then, as if it was an afterthought, he added, "My name is Quarrel, or Q. I am one of the ten kings of this mirror world. Later on you will meet the others. For now, the people of this village will help you get acquainted to this world. Perhaps from your world you have never seen such a race- I can tell from the surprised look you gave the village chief. They are called Sylph. Their beauty and grace make them stand out then the other races of this world… but I fear they have grown cold over the years. Because of their grace and beauty they have been targeted the most by the creatures of this world and they are becoming few and far between. I fear because you have become a Sylph you too will be targeted."

"I've what?" Near questioned, giving a quick glance down at himself. Sure enough, his feet hovered a few inches off of the ground… his fingers had become long and slender; his skin soft and smooth. What else had changed? And why had they changed in the first place?

"There are four creatures in this world," King Quarrel informed. "Humans, which are well balanced creatures, but a master of nothing. Shura, who are masters of power and seduction. Sprites, who are masters of perfection and speed. And Sylph, who are masters of grace and wisdom. I am fairly sure you have never traveled dimensions before, so let me explain how that works- when you enter a new world, even if the same races exist in your world, there is a chance that you will become something else, also that your appearance will change. While being born in your own world, you have no choice as to who you are, when you insert a new world your inner personality will choose who you become. Because you have become a Sylph, I will assume your inner self is beautiful, but perhaps a bit cold."

While Near was one to dislike having others tell him who he is, he felt no need to respond to those words.

"Now, I will leave you be," King Quarrel mused, before motioning to one of the nearby people who had finally wondered out of their homes. "That is the village cheif, Muhasha. He will help you get used to your new abilities, as well as give you some things you will need on your journey."

Before Near could say anything, King Quarrel began to fade away. But, before he'd completely disappeared, he informed, "Oh and just so you know… because you are from the real world, you cannot die here."

Then he was gone, as if he'd never been there.

The village chief, Muhasha, approached then… or rather, floated toward him. Near was unsure if he would ever get use to this _floating_thing… but then again, he spent most of his time sitting instead of standing. Perhaps this wasn't much different?

"I am Muhasha," the village chief informed, before moving to bow. "Welcome, white one."

"White one?" Near repeated. When the chief began to bow, all of the other villagers followed suit. A frown crossed Near's face… true, he was used to being respected both as number one and as the current L… but no one had ever bowed lowly to him, let alone an entire village full of people.

"Why are you bowing?" He questioned, just as the village chief finally stood back up.

"What do you mean, white one?" he questioned. There was that name again…_white one_. He could understand where the name came from… being an albino, his skin, hair, and eyes all lacked pigment, and the fact that he wore all white added to it. But there had to be a reason behind the name, not just his looks.

"Why do you call me that?" He questioned next, looking around at all of the still bowing villagers.

The village chief seemed either confused or put off. He said nothing. In fact, it was a small girl who answered his question.

"You are the white one who is going to save us," she informed, stepping out from behind a door. Unlike the rest of her people, she wore a smile- the King had said these people were cold, yet this little girl appeared warm. The rest of the villagers turned to glare at her, as if she was not supposed to speak. "You and the dark one."

"Save you?" Near repeated, unamused. He had heard people say that 'L had saved them', people who had been against Kira, but he had always disliked these words. A knight in shining armor, that was what he was being compared to… jumping in front of a bus to push someone out of the way. A hero, that's what they wanted. But Near wouldn't push anyone out of the way of a bus. He's not a hero. "Who is the dark one?"

"You should know," she replied, before rolling her eyes. As if the answer was an obvious one.

"As much as we hate to admit it," Muhasha cut in, catching Near's attention. "Our people need you. And as unfair as it is for we to ask you, a stranger to this world, for your help… please understand that this is a last resort. Our people are powerless, we are weakened and dying. If the mirror kings believe that you are the one that can help us, then we will aid you in any way."

Near's automatic reaction was to say no. This was no case, he couldn't simply sit with his toys and examine the evidence… they wanted him in the front line of this war, fighting for their people.

…He could barely even believe all this was real. Ninety percent of him was sure that car had hit him and he'd been knocked unconscious. All of this was a dream. People don't get sucked into mirrored realities, people don't float, things like this don't happen. Then again, only a few years ago he had believed that Shinigami were just fairy tales and a notebook that causes death couldn't exist.

No. It was an easy thing to say. Two letters. One syllable. No. I wont fight your war. I'm not a hero. I prefer to sit on the floor and play with toys, I prefer to do puzzles. To solve from the background, not face to face. No. This is not my war, this is insanity. You want me to face creatures, things that can kill your people? No. _No_.

But then again, what choice did he have? According to King Quarrel, if all of the reflections in these 'mirrors' were gone, then a rebellion in this mirrored reality could be messing up its real version… it could 'unravel existence'. And, while Near disliked having such a thing on his shoulders, if it was up to him to save existence, was 'No' really an option? Even if he didn't plan on saving existence, chances were he would have to set the 'treads of time' right before he could return to his own world.

If he said no, he would most likely still be stuck here. And if what King Quarrel had been correct and he could not die here… what was the harm in helping?

"Alright," he mused, noticing the annoyance in his voice. A few of the villagers who had been holding their breath gave sighs of relief and that one little girl smiled. Near supposed he could muse later on how screwed up everything was at the moment and the likelihood that this was in fact a dream, but for now he let the village chief usher him into one of the buildings.

Once Near had figured out how to put his feet back on the ground, he found that walking was much easier then floating. While the other villagers looked at him weird, he paid attention to the man sitting across from him, attempting to explain the ways of his people.

"You were a human in your old reality, correct?" Muhasha asked, before explaining. "You prefer to put your feet on the ground, so I assumed. By the look on your face when I asked, I can tell I was correct. By the look now, you are surprised that I could tell. We Slyphs are emotionless beings, because you were born here as one of us I can only assume your emotions were often hidden, but as a human you still have them. We can read any sort of emotion in your eyes, because all we see when we look into each other's is nothing. While your face may be straight, your eyes show it all."

He motioned to a young woman, who stepped (or floated, rather) toward him. "This is my daughter, Marah," Muhasha explained. "Marah, would you please retrieve Samsara?"

She left, and Muhasha turned back to Near. "If you do not mind, white one, I would like to ask your name."

"Near," he informed, glad the chief had asked. Being called _white one _was getting old, fast.

"Near," Muhasha repeated. "I have another question for you, if you do not mind. This one may appear odd, at first. May I see your forehead?"

"It's not odd at all," Near replied. "I noticed that different people in this village had different markings on their foreheads, ones that did not appear to be family related. One would only assume that they would have something to do with this 'power' that you spoke of."

"You are a smart young man," Muhasha stated in a bit of awe. "Yes, that is exactly what the markings are for."

Near brushed his fingers below his bangs and pushed them back, out of his eyes. Muhasha hummed for a moment before motioning for him to put his hand down. "I assumed so… you are blessed with the power of the elements. As the White one, I am not surprised. Elementals are the strongest of the shamans, but they are also the most difficult to master. I do hope the fact that you have become a Sylph proves true, and you are as stubborn and as willing to act as we are."

While in fact it was true that Near was stubborn, he had never been willing to act. He'd always preferred making others do things for him, tricking them into being pieces of his puzzle… (one incident with a specific blonde and a gun came to mind, but he pushed it aside). But the aspect of learning something new, especially something apparently difficult to know, made his thirst for knowledge scream. (L would go crazy in this situation, Near supposed… the idea of learning something new… of learning _magic_ of all things. He and L had always had the same problem, the problem of knowing everything. Of being bored with life.)

A man perhaps in his forties entered then, giving a low bow… if it was to the chief or himself, Near wasn't sure. "You called for me?" He asked.

"Samsara makes the best robes," Muhasha explained. "Samsara, would you please craft some robes for Near?"

"It would be my honor," Samsara stated, bowing again. "If you do not mind, kind sir, will you stand?"

Near did as asked, expecting to be measured in some way. But, instead, Samsara just gave him a quick once-over before bowing and excusing himself.

"There is a Shaman trainer in Eversun," Muhasha informed as Near sat back down. "She can teach you far more then I can. Eversun is the most populated city around… but you will find that Sylph there are few and far between. There is not much more that we can help you with here, other then the ways of our world. I hope this is enough?"

"Anything helps," Near commented. Any pieces of the puzzle help to make the ending picture. Plus, for all he knew sneezing in public could get you killed, here. Knowing the ways of this world would come in handy.

"What did the King explain to you, already?" Muhasha questioned.

"The different races," Near replied.

"Anything else?" Muhasha asked. Near resisted the urge to say, _if he had said anything else I would have said so_, instead just giving a shake of his head. "Alright, I will explain to the best of my abilities…"

He shifted a bit before beginning to speak. "Humans, Sprites, and Shura live together in peace… Sylph, however, are usually regarded as rude or snobbish. There are few who see them this way, but I do implore you to be careful. It is respectful to put away any weapon you may have before speaking to anyone." Near wasn't planning on carrying a weapon in the first place, although he supposed he might need to. "As you can see, the people here look quite a bit different then you do… I'm not sure if your look is a normal one in your home world, but generally people here do not have white hair and eyes. I'm sure many have heard of the white one's appearance, so it is likely that you will stand out in the crowds. The currency here is bronze, silver, and gold. One hundred bronze is a silver, one hundred silver is a gold. I can give you three silver, but I'm afraid that's all I can spare… that should last you until you can find some way to make your own, however. Food in Eversun is not horribly spendy."

He reached across the table and grabbed hold of a bag, removing three silver coins and handing them to Near. Then, as a second thought, he handed the bag over too. "This should do keep your things in, for now. I'm sure you can find a better one in the city."

Muhasha then went on with his explanations. "The creatures that hang around the cities are not powerful. In fact, they had always been peaceful creatures before the rebellion… unfortunately, no one knows why this rebellion began, though we all have our theories. King Quarrel may know, perhaps you should ask him the next time you speak with him…"

He hummed, as if trying to think of anything else. He then asked, "Do you have any questions?"

Near thought over the information before he finally asked something that had been bugging him. "Who is 'the dark one'?"

"You don't know?" Muhasha breathed. Near shook his head and the chief sighed. "That could be a problem… the dark one is supposed to be your counterpart in this journey. If you do not know who he is, I'm not sure how well this might go."

"My counterpart?" Near asked, thinking about it. Who could his_counterpart _be?

"In our world we have realized that being with a soul mate makes your abilities much stronger," Muhasha explained. "There are specific people who are born with the ability to see whom a person's soul mate is. I have never seen a case where two people who are soul mates have grown apart… in fact, I met my own wife on the streets because of a Match Keeper and we only grew closer, from there.

"The dark one was summoned here along with you, but not by King Quarrel. I am certain you will run into him at some later point, in fact I cannot see why you would not, as you will need him… or her, to fight."

Near wasn't sure how he felt about this _dark one_, then again he wasn't too sure about how he felt about this whole ordeal. While he was positive this was really happening, it felt more like a dream, like a movie he was watching. He felt disconnected from reality… then again, he had been felling like that quite a bit, recently. Ever since…

"Near?" Muhasha's voice cut into his thoughts. "Would you like something to eat, or perhaps some rest? It will take Samsara some time to make your robes, so…"

While he wasn't hungry or tired, Near agreed to lay down and possibly fall asleep, just for something to do… he hated being bored but seriously doubted anyone in this village would have a puzzle for him to do or some toys for him to play with.

An hour or so later, Near found himself laying on a rather uncomfortable bed, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. And, while he had often found himself doing this same thing recently, these moments seemed to tick by slower then any had in the past… which was saying a lot, considering.

While he should have been spending time reflecting, trying to put into place what was going on and who his _counterpart _might be, Near found his mind blank. It was not something he often felt… the problem with being a genius was that his mind was constantly racing, constantly calculating. He thought in numbers and equations, instead of emotions and reflections. It was… nice? - for lack of a better word - to lie there and just relax… to have nothing on his mind.

His quiet moment alone was interrupted after some time by that same little girl from before. She stepped (_floated_) in, carrying two dolls, one in each arm.

After a few moments of silence, Near sat up and addressed her. "Can I help you?"

"I'm bored," she replied, before holding out one of the dolls. "Play with me."

Not a question, more of a demand. He was reminded of himself, somewhat.

"I don't play with other people," he informed. The truth. Despite years of Linda attempting to get him to play with her or anyone else, he had always refused. (More because of the fact that they would ruin the things he had created, in his mind… nothing to do with loneliness or sorrow, although he was sure that's what Linda had seen it as.)

"You do now," she replied, plopping a doll into his lap and sitting (_floating_) down beside him. Near, who hated being told what to do, dropped the doll onto the bed beside him. He had never liked dolls, anyway. Too realistic, at least some of them… he preferred his robots and his legos, (his finger puppets). Things that didn't remind him of the real world when he lost himself in his make believe worlds.

(Maybe that was why he hadn't been so 'freaked out', when it came to all of this. It was just like one of his games, but real. The true question, howeve,r was if he was willing to admit that possibility.)

"My name is Obi," she explained, grabbing the doll from where he'd put it and playing it in her lap, next to the other one. "Grandfather says your name is Near." He wasn't surprised at her admission of being related to the chief elder… he had figured that out because of a lack of her being scolded when speaking out. "That's a stupid name." She had been attempting to get a reaction out of him, but had not succeeded. Near had never cared what others thought of him, let alone of his name. Obi tilted her head and looked at him, before twisting her features into a sour look. "Your just like the others… no emotions."

Not up to explaining himself to a child (considering she would be the first), Near instead gave his hands a glance. They seemed foreign, long and slender with perfect fingernails. He felt no different but at the same time apart from himself… then again, hadn't he felt that way a lot, recently? Because of-

"Near?" Again, pushed out of his thoughts. Obi was waving a doll in his face, as if to get his attention. "When you save the world, come back and visit me."

"Right," he replied, automatically.

"You're boring," Obi whined. Again, Near said nothing in return. Sighing, as if annoyed, she flipped onto her side, as if laying down, but still _floating_. "Tell me about your world."

"No," Near deadpanned, lifting a hand to curl a lock of hair around his finger.

"Does everyone look like you?" Obi questioned, tilting her head to the side. "Your hair is weird and short."

"No," he answered her first question.

"So you're weird there too, huh? You must be used to it." A smart girl, this one. "Do you have creatures in your world?"

"Yes, but they don't fight us, usually," Near explained. "Not unless we fight them or scare them."

"What about magic?"

His first thought was to answer _no_, but then the Death Note came to mind. "Sort of." It was an iffy answer, one that made him frown.

"What about soul mates?"

"I don't know."

"Do Sylphs get along with everyone else?"

"There are no Sylphs."

"That's lame."

Thankfully, Muhasha entered then to save him from Obi. Giving her a scolding tap on the forehead, the chief shooed her off before turning to Near. "Samsara was able to finish your robes in a shorter time then I had thought. Apparently he had been working on them ahead of time, in anticipation that you might arrive, and merely needed to make a few adjustments."

Muhasha shook his head, obviously thinking this as strange as Near did. But he said nothing, motioning for Near to follow him.

They stepped out into a larger room, perhaps a living room, and Near was lead up to a chair, instructed to climb up on it. This was either to make him easier to see, or the same height as the other (_floating_) people in the room.

"You are quite a bit shorter then any of our people," Samsara mused, moving to pull of Near's shirt without asking. Near almost fell off of the chair, trying to move away from his touch, only to have Muhasha grab him from the back and help in the removal of his clothes (apparently they had never heard of buttons, because both tried to pull his top over his head). "So I had to hem the bottom down, but that was the only adjustment."

"I'm less open, too, apparently," Near commented with a glare. "In my world we don't undress other people." _Not usually_, he didn't add in.

"My apologies, white one," Samsara droned, obviously not sorry, or at least that was how it seemed. "Please, remove the rest of your clothing, if you will."

"We also don't stand in front of others without clothes," Near pointed out.

"I fear you will not know how to place these robes on yourself," Samsara commented. "You may keep your under garments on, of course, white one."

"Of course," Near mused with a bit of a bite. Unlike him, but common of someone annoyed as he was.

Fairly uncomfortable standing there with his shirt and pants gone, Near soon realized that the tailor was in fact very correct about him being unable to put such robes on. Honestly, Near wasn't sure how he was going to manage to do so at any later point in time… was this really necessary, anyway? If he was going to stand out amongst the crowd here anyway, what was the point of him wearing clothes like they were? He didn't bother to complain, however- if this man had been so ready to create these robes that he had done so _before _his arrival, who was Near to put him down?

Not that he cared, of course. He just needed a reason to hold his tongue.

He had noticed that nearly everyone in this town wore alike robes- he supposed because of their ability to float the fact that the sleeves hung down to their knees was no problem. Why they felt the need to cover their hands, he didn't know. It was going to make doing_anything _more difficult then it needed to be. If he was going to be fighting, wouldn't this fancy outfit get ruined?

Samsara taken that nickname, _white one_, a bit too literally. These robes were almost completely white, with light violet thrown in every so often. Just like all of the other robes in this city, the under sleeves hung down to his knees, while the outer layers covered his upper arms. It was a surprisingly light outfit; in fact it almost felt like he was wearing liquid. Strangely more comfortable then his pajamas had been.

"This material is woven in with threads of magic," Samsara explained, possibly after catching a look in Near's eyes. "It will not hinder your movement ability and it will enhance your speed. It will also add quite a bit of defense."

"When I said he was the best, I meant it," Muhasha commented in approval. "No other tailor is able to weave magic into their thread."

Near assumed he was supposed to be impressed and hoped they would pass off his lack of appreciation as something from his home world. About the only thing that could impress him was someone who could beat him at something… which he had yet to find, even in his twenty two and a half years of life. Boring.

"How do they feel, Near?" Muhasha asked, motioning to the robes.

Near lifted his arms, the long sleeves hanging off of his hands. "Why are the sleeves like this?"

"When you use strong magic, as you are casting the spells can burn your hands," Samsara explained, almost annoyed. Common knowledge around here, Near supposed. "The sleeves are to prevent that from happening."

Near didn't give a response, instead turning to the chief as he cleared his throat.

"I will have someone summoned to take you to Eversun," he informed, motioning to someone standing off in the side of the room. Whoever it was scurried (_floated_) off. "It is barely an hours walk-" (_float_) "-from here. The path should be clear of creatures, you should be safe until you speak to the Shaman in the city. The woman you will be looking for is named Aireio."

A few moments later, a young woman entered, giving a low bow.

"Sapphire will be your transport to Eversun," Muhasha explained, motioning to the woman. He then paused and offered Near a somewhat worried, "Good luck on your adventures, white one… I wish you well."

Near merely gave a nod in response before following Sapphire outside.

"Are you ready to go?" She questioned, looking toward the gate out of the village.

"Why wouldn't I be," he stated, tying the bag Muhasha had given him upon a loop, which he assumed was created for that very purpose.

"I don't know," Sapphire replied. "You're from a different universe, for all I know you have to kiss the ground before you leave some place."

It might have been meant as a joke, but in her monotone voice it didn't sound like one.

She walked (_floated_) toward the gate and he followed along without a word. In fact, their entire walk (_float_) was spent in silence, and while Near enjoyed his peace and quiet, he had to wonder if this is how others felt around him… put off, like anything they said didn't matter to him. Like talking to a brick wall. Then he decided he didn't really care.

Just as Muhasha had predicted, there were no 'creatures' anywhere along the path they walked. As soon as they stepped onto the brick road of Eversun, Sapphire turned and began to walk (_float_) back to her city, without a word.

Resisting the urge to 'thank' her for the 'kind service', Near gave the city a once over. Defiantly nothing like anything he had ever created with legos, blocks, or cards… nothing like he'd ever imagined in his games. There were people all over- or, well… at least what he assumed were people. While he could easily spot a few humans, he swore he saw women with _tails _walking around, as well as people who he thought might be children, but one of them had a _beard_. Then again, if the people back in that village _floated_, (if Ryuuk had beady yellow eyes and a grin full of sharp fangs), the tails probably shouldn't have surprised him.

(Then again, anything from this _alternative world _should have been a huge shock. Was he really so disconnected from himself?)

It was almost impossible to walk along the streets without someone knocking into him. Still, he managed to avoid it almost halfway across the street (headed to where, he didn't know). Then someone a few inches taller smacked into him from behind, causing him to fall forward- thankfully, the whole _floating _thing came in handy, and instead of being face first on the ground he found himself in the air.

As he struggled to put his feet back on the ground, the person who had bumped into him snapped in an angry voice, "What where you're going, damn it."

The voice sounded a bit familiar, much like a voice that Near knew belonged to a person diseased over four years. Curiosity got the better of him, however, and he found himself turning, expecting to find himself facing one of those people with tails or something.

Wrong. Very wrong.

Blonde hair, falling in an unkempt and lazy style, almost like he'd only cut it out of necessity, instead of the need to look good. Bright green eyes, wide with shock, staring at him with a look Near was pretty sure was on his own face. An old burn, dotting the left side of his face, crawling down his neck and across his back. A face that he remembers, a face burned into his mind, a face he'd tried and tried again to push away…

"Near?" That voice speaks again, saying his name. He wants to deny it, because… because there's no way this is possible. This had to be a dream, now he knew that for sure it was. He'd been hit by that car and thrown into a dream world, like Dorothy hitting her head and ending up in Oz. This wasn't reality… it couldn't be, no matter how much he wanted it at this very moment.

It couldn't be… Mello was dead.


	2. Reality, or wishful thinking?

**Dream of Mirror**

**Ice-Puppet**

**Warnings: **Same as first chapter

**Disclaimer**: Not mine

**Author's note**: I'd like to say thank you to those of you who read and reviewed the previous chapter. Although I am not the kind of author who makes rules like, 'If I don't get 7 reviews I won't post the next chapter...', reading comments from the fans makes me smile- it also brings back my love of the story and helps with the writers block. Even a little review like 'i like it' puts a smile on my face!

**Author's note 2:** Feel free to send me messages with questions or what not. I love to hear from the fans and I am always looking for new friends to talk to or even role play with! Leave your messages under reviews or FF dot net's message system- if you send me emails I will **not **get them, my email filters out messages that are not from people I know. You can also reach me through AIM, MSN, my Deviant art account, or my live journal. (Please keep in mind that I am a college student so there are points in time where I will not be up to talking.)

Enjoy Dream of Mirror!

--

**Chapter 2** Reality or wishful thinking?

Near knew he had to be dreaming.

He had his doubts, beforehand. This dream was too realistic, everything felt like it would in reality… but hadn't Dorothy felt that way in Oz? He'd been hit by that car, this was all a dream. The mirror king, the 'white one', the 'counterpart'. All this was just something his brain had come up with after hitting concrete. Next he was going to run into L with a cattail and Kira as a mutant cow. Or something.

Mello, standing right in front of him. Completely impossible. Mello was dead. Near had seen the body, had mourned him and pushed any thought of him away. Therefore, this had to be a dream. Because Mello was standing right here, right in front of him. Alive, breathing, no longer scarred, and so _realistic_. Impossible. Completely_impossible_.

"Could you _move_?" A woman snapped as she almost ran into the two of them. "If you want to stand around get off of the walkway."

Before Near had a chance to respond, Mello grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him into a building close by. It turned out to be a diner of some sort, so Mello pulled them over to a table and pretty much shoved Near down into a chair. With a quick glance around the room, the blonde fell into the seat opposite to him.

"Are you going to sit there gaping at me like a fish or are you going to speak?" He snapped, either irritated or completely in character. "Say something, at least. You look like an idiot."

Definitely Mello. Definitely a dream.

"Mello is dead," Near informed. A statement of fact.

"I'm not dead," Mello replied. "You're dead."

"I'm obviously not dead," Near pointed out.

"I'm obviously not either," Mello practically hissed.

Near shook his head, as if doing so would clear it. Make reality return… make Mello disappear. Nothing. He lifted a hand and rubbed at his eyes with one of the sleeves, but still nothing. The only change was Mello's look, switching from pissed off to _what the hell are you doing_. "Mello is dead," Near told him again, continuing before Mello could cut in. "I saw Mello's body. Halle found it. Kira killed Mello then used Takada to burn him. Matt was killed, too. Shot down by her bodyguards. Mello is _dead_."

"That's not how I remember it," Mello mused, crossing his arms and leaning back against his chair, eyes narrowed. "More like you tried to trick Kira by switching Mikami's death note, only to realize that one was a fake and he had the real one hidden somewhere. You, your little followers, and the Japanese police all died. Matt is still alive, or at least he was last I saw him. I almost caught Kira, but he died of a heart attack, the Shinigami killed him. Amane killed herself, Mikami went to jail."

"I knew it was a fake notebook," Near informed. "You kidnapped Takada in order to bring the likelihood of a fake out into the open. Takada killed you. Mikami went to his hidden notebook to write her name down. Because of you I was able to realize that the fake existed."

"I wouldn't do any of that," Mello snorted, rolling his eyes. "You make it sound like I risked my life to save yours. I would do it for the case, in fact I did, but getting myself killed like that is completely stupid. Actually, it was because you were an idiot and Kira killed you that I managed to gather enough evidence to convict him."

"Ah, I see you two have found each other."

Near's attention switched to a woman who slipped into a seat next to him. She was dressed similar to the way King Quarrel had been, her blonde hair done up in circles and brades, bright blue eyes giving an amused look to a fairly unamused Mello.

"What do you want now?" Mello snapped.

"You must be Nate River," the woman spoke to Near, ignoring Mello completely. "I am Kamariya, one of the ten Mirror kings."

"You're a woman," Near hummed. "Women are queens, not kings."

"I'm glad you and Mihael have managed to find each other," Kamariya went on, motioning to Mello (who gave a glare and hissed out, "_Mello_.") "That makes my job so much easier."

"Your job?" Mello questioned. Near, however, realized what she meant instantly.

"He's the dark one." Not a question.

"You're a smart boy," Kamariya mused. "Quarrel has explained everything, then, I assume?"

"He didn't explain much," Near replied.

"Neither did she," Mello mused, nodding to Kamariya.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken," Near informed Kamariya, ignoring the blonde (which only made that sour look on his face twist into an angry one). "There's no possible way Mello and I are soul mates."

"_What_?" Mello squeaked.

"I was told soul mates are supposed to work well together," Near continued.

"You two do not work well together?" Kamariya questioned.

"We hate each other," Mello hissed.

"He hates me," Near corrected. "I don't hate him."

"I'm not good enough for you hate?" Mello seethed.

"Also," Near went on, ignoring Mello again. "In my 'world', Mello is dead."

Mello cut in with, "In my 'world' he's the dead one," before Kamariya could respond.

"Ah, so that's why," she hummed, before smirking slightly. "I love the clothes, Nate."

"Call me Near," he demanded.

"You are a Sylph, I see. Amazing creatures."

Near offered no response. Mello spoke after a few moments of silence. "What the _fuck _are you wearing, anyway?"

"She didn't explain anything, did she?" He mused, smirking a little bit as Mello gave a glare in response.

Silence washed over them as Quarrel slipped into the seat beside Mello.

"Kamariya," he greeted the other 'king'.

"Quarrel," she mused in obvious distain.

"You must be Mihael," Quarrel addressed Mello, looking him up and down. "Considering Near's looks I assumed you would have dark hair, skin, and eyes. Although I can see why you are the dark one."

"The_dark one_," Mello almost laughed. "Sounds like something out of a really bad movie."

"Apparently the reason for the thread being torn is because these who come from two completely different worlds," Kamariya explained to Quarrel, who frowned deeply. "The Mihael in Nate's world is dead and the Nate in Mihael's world is dead."

"Near," Near corrected. At the same time, Mello growled, "Mello."

"Is that so?" Quarrel addressed them. A nod from both and he frowned, lifting his fingers to his lips and chewing on his fingernails. "But they are still connected, correct?" He asked Kamariya.

"How should I know?" She mused as if speaking to Quarrel was a bad taste in her mouth. "I'm not a Match keeper."

"What the hell are you two going on about?" Mello demanded. He was ignored.

"This could be a problem," Quarrel mused, still chewing on his fingernails. "But they would not have been summoned if they were not soul mates. Still, from two different dimensions…"

"Hello?" Mello tried again.

"Perhaps we should get a Match Keeper to make sure," Kamariya mused. "Although we don't have the power to summon another pair even if they aren't."

"They certainly fit the descriptions," Quarrel commented, motioning to Near.

"_Hello_?" A third time, still no answer. Mello was getting pissed.

Near caught Mello's attention, deciding to explain to him since it appeared that the Kings weren't going to anytime soon. "This is the 'mirrored' reality of another reality. The purpose of a mirrored reality is to copy its real counter part, or 'devastating things' might happen. The 'creatures' around here have ignored this rule and are acting out, attacking the people that live here. Because of this their 'magic' has disappeared and they are 'helpless'. We were 'summoned' here to stop this 'war' and restore this place to 'peace.'"

"I didn't want to hear it from _you_," Mello hissed, like venom. He then let the words sink in and questioned, "Wait, what?" Turning his direction to Kamariya, Mello snapped at her (interrupting something she was saying to Quarrel,) "Why the fuck didn't you tell any of this to me before!?"

"You didn't ask," she purred with a smirk.

"Fuck you," Mello snapped. "How the hell am I supposed to 'save' your world with _Near_? And what makes you think I _want _to."

"You can't go back to your own unless you save ours," Kamariya informed.

"You're a bitch," Mello accused. "And honestly, if you want your world 'saved', you can't rely on Near for that. He'd probably just laugh at you or feed you to the wolves, or something."

"Maybe the Near from your world," Kamariya hummed. "This one might be different, for all you know."

"Near is Near, no matter what 'world' he comes from," Mello huffed.

"Well I suppose I'll _ask _him then," the King mused, before she turned to Near. "Well, Nate? Or, Near, rather. What do you say, will you help us?"

"I suppose," Near breathed. Mello gave him an odd stare. "I'm relatively positive this is all just a dream. But even if it's not, I suppose it's the right thing to do."

"Since when has that affected your judgment?" Mello snapped. Near ignored him.

"What about you, Mihael?" Kamariya addressed.

"Mello," He corrected angrily. "And fine, if I can get back to my 'world' or 'reality' or whatever the shit, I'll help you pansies fight your war."

"Wonderful," Quarrel hummed. "Now, Near- I believe you came here to find Aireio, correct?"

"Or so I've been told," Near responded.

"Well, you can find her right over there," the King informed before turning around and pointing to a young human woman dressed in robes somewhat like the ones Near had been forced to wear.

"Why do you have to talk to some chick?" Mello questioned, turning around as well.

"She is supposed to teach me magic," Near explained. Mello gave a laugh in response.

"Magic?" He chuckled. "I didn't think you believed in magic, Near."

"I don't know about the 'reality' Mello came from," Near said, deadpan. "But in my own, L was killed by a note book and a spoiled teenager who played god."

"I don't think of the Death Note as 'magic'," Mello hissed.

"I try not to think of it at all," Near dead-panned.

"Just as I thought," Mello huffed, crossing his arms once more. "You're just like the Near from my 'reality'. A spoiled brat."

Near had no response to that, which he was fairly sure Mello would know, considering he was supposedly 'just like' the Near from Mello's 'reality.' Sure enough, after a few seconds of silence, the blonde gave another dramatic huff and turned his head away to angrily stare at a poor waitress lingering nearby.

"I think it best we check with a Match Keeper," Quarrel hummed, watching the two of them. "I've never seen a soul mate dislike the other so much."

"He's not my soul mate!" Mello snapped. "And I wouldn't hate him if he wasn't such a self-centered, egotistical, spoiled rotten, snobby, weird, annoying, bratty, stupid, stuck-up, freakish, ugly, high and mighty little _bitch_."

"I rest my case," Quarrel droned.

"I don't care if you hate him," Kamariya informed, eyes narrowed. "You two are stuck here together and unless you want to _die_, you'll stay that way."

Quarrel had stated that they couldn't die in this world, but Near decided not to point this out. While maybe a part of him liked holding this info over Mello's head, another part of him (way deep down) had always accepted (and always wanted) the idea of working together with Mello. That, and it might be a bit fun to watch the blonde squirm.

"That's shit," Mello groaned. "Fuck you all. Fine, I'll work with him, but only because I _have _to, got it?" Kamariya rolled her eyes while Q gave a small, amused smirk. Near gave no response, although he inwardly had to admit that it surprised him how quickly Mello had agreed… he'd expected a long angry battle, but the blonde had given in quickly.

Perhaps this Mello and the one he knew were different, after all… or perhaps Mello had changed with age.

"Anything else you've 'neglected' to tell me?" The blonde hissed toward Kamariya.

"Yes," she mused, tapping a finger against her lips. "You and Near are to marry at sundown tomorrow."

"_WHAT_?!"

Near cringed at that shriek. He was certain that everyone else within the diner, and possibly a whole mile radius, cringed as well.

"I'm kidding!" Kamariya laughed. "Wow, throw a hissy fit. There's nothing else we can tell you. The rest you need to learn on your own. Call it… learning experience, if you want." She turned toward Quarrel then, wearing a smirk. "Shall we head off, then?"

"Mmhmm," he hummed, nodding to Near and Mello. "Enjoy your stay, young ones. We will meet again… oh, and, something I forgot to say - Don't give me that look, Kamariya! I was supposed to say this, I just forgot! – there are eight other mirror kings that you will need to speak to. I'm afraid we haven't a clue where they've run off to… this world is large and we cannot keep in touch as the recent monster attacks have caused any messenger that has tried to go missing. Once you reach them they will be able to lend you their strength… trust me, you will need it. Also, if it isn't _too much _trouble-" He gave Mello a stare at this one. "Do try and figure out what has the monsters rebelling, will you?"

Then the two kings were gone, as if they had never been there. Mello gave a sour glare at the spot Kamariya had been in while Near moved to stand.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" The blonde snapped.

Ignoring Mello's attitude Near gave him the truth, "To speak to the person I was told to speak to." Then, without waiting for Mello to respond, he walked toward the woman Quarrel had pointed out.

"Good evening, Near," she addressed as he approached motioning for him to take a seat beside her.

"Either Shamans can read minds," Near mused, sitting beside her. "Or Aireio has excellent hearing."

"A little of A, a little of B," she hummed. "An seasonal shaman, hmm? Sylph are lucky, I suppose, the blueprint for their abilities are marked on their foreheads." Giving him a once over, Aireio leaned against the counter almost lazily. "A weak little thing, aren't you? Sylphs are usually pretty little creatures, but you've got to be the smallest one I've ever seen." Unsure if this was supposed to be an insult or not, Near brushed it off (either way, he didn't care).

After a few moments of silence, Aireio whistled and gave him a grin. "You must really be the white one. Anyone from this world would have known that physical strength has nothing to do with magic, and any Sylph would have been quick to correct me." He stayed silent once more and she laughed. "You didn't know it was a test, hm?"

"Can Aiero really read minds?" Near questioned, wondering if she had been joking before.

"Maybe," Aireio responded. She then held out her hands and ordered, "Roll up your sleeves and show me your hands."

Having a bit of difficulty, Near managed to do as asked after a few moments. He dropped his hands into her palms and she leaned in to examine them.

After a few hums she spoke again. "You were born in Autumn, correct?" As he nodded she dropped his hands. "Children begin to develop their magic abilities in their first months of life. Even though your world may not have magic, all children are given the ability… the special ones are the ones that keep it. Your first few months were in the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. Because of this, your winter spells will be strongest, and your autumn ones will be strong, but not nearly as much so."

Humming, Aireio tapped her fingers on her lips before informing him. "While I am perhaps the greatest shaman for miles around, I'm a summer shaman. Unfortunately this means I cannot teach you anything, save for basic spells of protection. Although for now I guess that is good enough."

"Quarrel told me that the people of this world were losing their magic," Near informed.

"Quarrel is a loser," Aireio laughed. Then she giggled at Near's reaction. "What? Just because he's a mirror king doesn't mean he isn't like the rest of us. I grew up with him. Hell, my cousin is a mirror king! Mirror Kings are just special kids, like Shamans or Match Keepers." Waving her hand, Aireio continued what she had been saying. "The weaker of us have lost our abilities, this is true. But those of us who have dedicated our lives to knowledge and obtaining greater abilities have not yet suffered from this change. But, unfortunately, even our powers are not strong enough to stop the change that has begun. Well…" looking around, she leaned in and whispered, "Don't tell the villagers, but… the rumors going around are that a being more powerful then the mirror kings is what is causing the monsters to rebel. That is why you and your friend were called here… to defeat it. The mirror kings are supposed to combined their abilities and give them to you so that you can defeat this thing."

"Lovely," Near deadpanned.

Aireio smiled slightly at his response before pulling away and speaking in a normal tone. "It's getting late. Here, take this and check yourself and your friend into the inn." She removed a silver coin from somewhere on her and dropped it into his hand. "I will meet you here tomorrow when the sun is in the center of the sky. For now, get plenty of rest. Since you are new to magic, it might take quite a bit out of you."

Aireio gave a wave of farewell before paying for her meal and leaving the diner. Near gave an indifferent look to the waitress before turning back to Mello… or, rather, where Mello had been. A now empty table mocked him.

Damnit.

Stepping outside, Near quickly glance around, attempting to find a flash of blonde- unfortunately, there were many blondes in the crowd, however most of them had tails and none of them had Mello's hair cut, save for- ah, there he was.

Pushing through the crowd, Near didn't manage to catch up to Mello until after he'd left the city gates.

"What is Mello doing?" He questioned, almost at a running pace to keep up with the other man's fast one.

"Ending this," Mello huffed, reaching under his heavy red jacket (the same one Near remembered him having, the last time they had seen each other face-to-face) and pulling out a gun.

"And how does Mello plan on doing that?" Near questioned, finding himself almost amused at how Mello was acting. (So much like his own Mello… he wondered if there were any differences between them, or ones between himself and the Near that Mello knew.)

"Why should I tell you? You'd probably try and steal my plan from me," came the hissed response. Near wasn't sure if Mello realized that his plan was fairly obvious – it had been from the moment he'd pulled his gun out – or if he thought Near was actually asking.

"I don't want to steal Mello's plan," Near hummed. Mello ceased walking and Near followed suit. "We are supposed to be working together," he reminded, watching as Mello's face twisted into disgust.

"Tell you what, if this doesn't work, we'll work together," he sneered. Near made no attempt to hide his amused smile. "Don't smile at me like that!" Mello snapped, before putting his plan into action.

He took a few steps forward and looked around, trying to find a 'creature'. Then, after a few moments, the two of them spotted something close to a small bridge covering a creek.

"What the fuck is that?" Mello gaped.

"It looks like a dog with a huge head," Near mused, tilting his head to the side as if doing so could give him a better view.

The creature lifted its head as they spoke, staring at them with huge black eyes. For a few moments it just stood there before it began to growl at them, bearing rows of large, sharp fangs.

"That's no dog," Mello breathed.

"What's Mello's plan?" Near questioned, eyeing the gun in Mello's hand.

"As if you don't know," the blonde hissed, before lifting his gun and aiming at the creature.

"Mello is going to shoot all of the creatures of this world?" Near asked, unable to keep the amused smile on his face.

"No," Mello hissed, glaring at Near. "I'm just testing it right now. I'm going to find the head of this stupid war and shoot _that_person."

"Genius," Near said.

"Shut the fuck up," was the response he got.

Taking careful aim at the growling _thing_, Mello didn't hesitate once he had the shot to pull the trigger.

Unfortunately the bullet ricocheted off of the thing's head and landed somewhere in the creek. If that wasn't bad enough, it appeared to make the thing _very _unhappy. Then, just to make things worse, the tiny creature suddenly changed into a not so tiny creature, with even more rows of sharp fangs and even blacker eyes.

"_Shit_," Mello wheezed.

"_Shit_ is an understatement," Near breathed.

The not so tiny thing snarled before it started to approach, full-speed. Mello froze beside him for a few seconds before screaming out, "Do something!"

"Like what?!" Near squeaked in response, for the moment not bothering to mask his emotions or keep them under control. Sure, he couldn't _die_in this world, but he was pretty sure that he could feel _pain_.

"I don't know!" Mello panicked. "Do magic or something! You're supposed to be a Shaman or whatever, right!?"

"I don't know how to do any of that yet!" Near cried. "I haven't learned it!"

"You're useless!" Mello accused.

"Mello is the one who _shot _at it!" Near snapped.

Before they could argue (or panic) any more, the thing was on top of them, rearing back on its hind legs and scratching with sharp claws. Near, slightly more in front, let out a small gasp of fear and tried to pull backward, only to find himself bumping right into Mello. In an automatic reaction (or at least what Near supposed was one), Mello lifted his hands and grabbed hold of Near's arms.

As soon as they made contact (even through the layers of robes on Near and Mello's heavy clothes and gloves) a jolt flew through Near's body, clouding his senses for a moment and almost causing him to lose his footing.

When his vision cleared he realized that the huge creature was stumbling back, cradling the claw that it had been slashing at him with- or rather the now bloody arm where that claw had been. It let out an ear-piercing whine and ran off out of sight.

After a few dazed moments of silence, Mello shoved Near forward, away from him. With one glance to the blonde, he could tell that Mello had felt whatever that jolt was, as well.

Neither of them dared to speak, both confused as to what had just happened. Then, after some time spent in uncomfortable silence, Mello cleared his throat and mumbled, "We should go back to town before another one of those things shows up."

"Yeah," Near agreed, his voice sounding small to his ears. Mello either didn't notice or didn't mention it, turning back toward the city and falling into a fast pace. Near kept up with little difficulty, letting out a breath when they'd finally stepped onto the brick walkway.

"So is that chick going to train you or what?" Mello questioned, probably to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Tomorrow," Near informed, glancing at the darkening sky. "She told me to go to the Inn and rent a room to get some rest."

"With what money?" Mello huffed, only to pout when Near pulled out one of the silver coins in the bag Muhasha had given him. "I have a feeling those assholes like you more… you always have to be better then me, don't you?" His features twisted into a sour glare as he started walking toward a building he could only assume was an Inn (as the sign had a bed on it). "Perfect Near, everyone loves him, he's just so _wonderful _and _smart_."

"I'm smart," Near agreed coldly, following Mello through the crowd. "But I am not wonderful and I am most _definitely _not perfect."

The blonde stopped in his tracks and Near almost slammed into it, but managed to avoid it. Turning, Mello gave him a strange look, like Near had just said something completely off and out of character.

"I guess you're not the Near I know," he hummed, eyeing Near carefully.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Near asked.

"The Near I knew would never admit to not being perfect," Mello explained.

Shaking his head, Near reasoned, "But I'm not perfect." He had never claimed to be perfect… Mello had often called him that, using it more like an insult then a compliment, but not once could he remember agreeing with him. In fact, he had disagreed with him at least twice that he could remember.

They reached the Inn and asked the keeper there for two rooms- unfortunately, she informed them that only one room was currently available. After listening to Mello chew the woman out for a few moments, Near slipped in beside the blonde and handed the woman the money, before starting up the stairs.

"I was in the middle of something!" Mello growled after him, but followed along anyway.

Shaking his head, Near began looking for their room as soon as he'd reached the top of the stairs. "Yelling at her isn't going to change the fact that only one room is open."

"You don't know that," Mello argued. "She might've kicked someone out if I scared her enough."

Not saying anything else, Near slipped over to their room and used the provided key to unlock it. Before he could pull the key out of the lock, Mello was already opening it and stepping inside.

"Oh_fuck _no," the blonde growled, turning back to leave the room. "Excuse me while I go beat that woman's face in."

"Why?" Near questioned, stepping in the way.

Giving him a glare that might have made anyone else back down (except perhaps L or Matt), Mello hissed, "There's only one bed."

Glancing around Mello's taller body, Near took note of the one large bed in the middle of the room.

"It's big enough for two," he pointed out.

"I'm not sharing a bed with you," Mello growled.

"Then sleep on the floor," Near hummed.

Mello gave an annoyed snort and shoved him out of the way (and into the hallway wall). "I'm not sleeping on the floor, either!"

"Then sleep outside?" Near offered, rubbing his shoulder where it had connected with wood.

"Why don't _you _sleep on the floor or outside and _I _sleep on the bed?" Mello reasoned.

"Because Mello is the one who has issues with sharing a bed," Near replied.

"I_don't _have issues with sharing a bed," Mello snapped. "I have issues with sharing a bed with _you_."

"Then sleep on the floor," Near repeated, before pushing past Mello and into the room. "Or outside, if Mello prefers."

With a defeated noise (as it was fairly obvious that both the floor and outside were very uncomfortable), Mello gave a beaten growl of, "You're a brat."

"So Mello has said," Near hummed. Then, turning to Mello, he asked, "Should we go get something to eat?"

"I'm not all that hungry," Mello hummed. "But we probably should, I guess." He gave another sour pout then and crossed his arms. "But I'm not eating with you!"

"Alright," Near agreed, which only made Mello angrier.

Reaching into his bag, Near removed one of the remaining silver coins and handed it to Mello. The blonde glared at him, but removed the object from Near's hand. He stormed out then, obviously in a bad mood (or, rather, more of a bad mood then normal).

Hoping Mello wouldn't get lost (and inwardly hoping the same for himself), Near took the key and left the room, locking the door after himself.

--

Near returned before Mello and left the door unlocked for him… it was late by the time he had managed to find a place with something eatable (something that didn't turn his stomach, rather) and wander his way back to the inn.

It had taken him a few moments to figure out how to undo the robes, but once he'd figured it out he realized it wasn't too difficult. After doing them back up to make sure he knew how, Near left the bottom layer (the one with the long sleeves) on and crawled under the blankets of the large bed.

By the time Mello returned he was already fast asleep.

Mello hadn't been lost, either. He'd finished eating hours ago and knew exactly where the inn was- he'd decided instead to walk around the city, to clear his head.

The truth was that he was fairly certain this was all just some fucked up dream, he'd gotten drunk and smacked his head or something- but then Near had shown up and Mello had gotten a bitter dose of reality. Near had died almost five years ago, killed by Mikami along with his little followers and some Japanese police officers. It was because of Near's death that Mello had eventually managed to convict Kira and X-Kira… because he'd been there, recording the whole thing.

Yeah, Mello had watched Near die. Had stood there and let it happen, doing nothing to stop it. And he hadn't felt bad, at the time, because Near had made his entire life hell and it was his own arrogant mistakes that got him killed. It wasn't until a few years later, after Roger had gotten a hold of him, when Mello actually began to feel bad.

Apparently Near had told Roger that he didn't want the job as L- that after the Kira case he was planning on passing it on to Mello. And while at first it had just pissed Mello off, it was growing harder and harder to hate someone who was dead. Mello had no idea why Near had wanted to pass L on, so he began to come up with different reasons, different scenarios.

While most of them consisted of Near being his normal jerk self, a few scenarios actually played out with Near giving him the job of L because he thought Mello could do it better, or something.

Matt usually laughed at these scenarios.

Over the past four and some odd years, while maybe it was expected that Mello would get over Near's death and move on, he found himself obsessing over the albino more then it had when the other boy was alive (which was quite a bit). Then, only about a month ago, Matt had gotten fed up and snapped some sense back into him.

He'd forced any thought of Near away, ever since then- but now, this? This was too much… sure, he believed there might be other worlds out there or whatever, but never had he thought he would _visit _one, let alone run into _Near _again. And now these strangers expected him to do the one thing not even L could get him to do and team up with his life-long rival? That alone was insane, let alone all this talk of them being 'soul mates.'

This was all _way _too much.

After walking around for a while, Mello finally decided to return to the room before Near started to worry (if he did, that was).

Upon returning to the inn and finding his room again, Mello was a bit surprised when he found the door unlocked. Sneaking in, he spared a quick glance around before realizing that Near was already fast asleep. Those weird ass robes he was wearing were thrown over a chair, while the bottom layer was still on him – Mello was thankful for that… sleeping next to Near was going to be bad enough, but sleeping next to him without clothes on would be _hell_.

Trying to be quiet, Mello slipped to the other side of the bed. He pulled off his red coat and his boots before climbing under the covers, careful not to bump the sleeping boy next to him.

After a while of laying there, unable to fall asleep, Mello rolled onto his back and spared a glance at Near. Still fast asleep, the younger man had rolled over and now faced him. He had one hand pulled up by his face and the other pulled against his chest.

Twenty-two, or so… that's how old this Near is. How old the Near he knew would have been, anyway… this isn't that same Near. Even if they look the same, sound the same, act the same… the Near he knew had died. This Near was someone else, he belonged to a completely different 'reality' or 'world' or whatever. His attitude seemed the same, still the arrogant bastard, but… there was a difference. Mello couldn't quite place it, but something about this Near was different from the one he used to know.

He still hated him, though.

Deciding that the rest of these thoughts could wait, Mello turned so that his back was facing Near and attempted to fall back asleep.

This time it didn't take long before he drifted off.


	3. Hocus Pocus

**Dream of Mirror **

** Ice-Puppet**

**Chapter 3: Hocus Pocus**

**Authors note**: I hope you all had a good holiday! I know I did. But, alas- school is starting back up again. \

I've become addicted to Yuugiou fiction, but I swore to myself that I would finish this fanfic, so I wont let it die! It may take a while for me to finally complete but I do have the time line all done and I quite like how it's going. It wont be cut off because of a horrible turn of events, like River's Vampire was. I do also have plans for a sequel although I don't know how well those are going to go.

--

Near awoke early the next morning to find Mello fast asleep beside him. He was quick and silent as he got dressed and headed outside, deciding to look around town before he got something to eat and then met Aireio.

The town was busy as ever, people rushing around him. A few stopped to look him over before continuing on with their lives, as if they hadn't seen him.

He switched between walking and floating, trying to get used to it in case he would need it at some later point. After quite a bit of practice he'd learned that it was controlled in the mind, not with the body- after that, it had been easy.

Hopefully mastering 'magic' was the same way.

Time passed quickly and soon enough Aireio was approaching him in the diner, grinning widely.

"Ready to do the hardest thing you've ever done in your life?" She asked with a wink.

Near offered no answer other then standing and following her outside.

A quick walk to the outside of the city before she stopped and turned to him.

"Alright," Aireio hummed, looking him up and down. "As I said before, I'm a master of Summer magic, so all I can teach you is basic defense. Are you ready to start?" As he nodded she lifted her hands and laid them out in front of her, palms up. Only then did he realize that she wasn't wearing long sleeves like she had been before. Noticing him looking at her hands, Aireio explained, "There are specific hand movements you need to learn and I can't show them if I have my sleeves on. I wont actually be doing the magic, just showing you the movements, so don't worry about my hands getting burned.

"Now," she went on, motioning for him to put his hands out like hers. He did so, before looking toward her again. "If you are going to be traveling, you'll need to know how to defend yourself against something that attacks. The first thing I am going to teach you is a basic attack skill- no season, so you should be able to learn it with ease.

"The first thing I want you to do…"

This went on for some time. Just as Near had suspected- casting 'magic', like 'floating' was all in the mind. Once he learned the basics, the rest came with ease. He didn't get it at first- in fact he ended up falling on his back a few times (after laughing at him, Aireio explained that if he was floating when casting magic, that wouldn't happen), but once he finally got the hang of it, he picked up everything else she taught him quickly.

"You're a smart boy," Aireio said again, nodding in approval. She then glanced up at the sky and mused, "Ah, the sun is going down. Perhaps we should find your friend so the two of you can get going? The sooner the better, after all."

Heading back toward the city along with her, Near questioned, "Go where?"

"To find the winter shaman," Aireio giggled. "So he can teach you how to _properly _fight."

They returned to the inn and headed up to the room Mello and Near were sharing. Thankfully the blonde was there, pulling on his coat and tying his shoes.

"Oh, there you are," he huffed. "I was just about to go looking for you. Figured you'd gone off and died somewhere."

"I was teaching him how to use magic," Aireio informed.

Rolling his eyes, Mello finished tying his shoes anyway. "Damn. Maybe I'll get lucky next time." Ignoring the look Aireio gave him at that answer he stood and walked over to them. "So now that you're able to do hocus pocus like the freak you are, what are we supposed to do?"

"Find another shaman so he can teach me more hocus pocus," Near informed.

"Great," Mello sneered. "And, let me, guess, in order to keep your pathetic ass safe from harm, I have to go with you?"

"I don't know how Mello is second best," Near hummed. "Mello is certainly _smart _enough to be first-"

Before a fight could break out, Aireio stepped in between them, shoving them both back an inch or two. "Even if you can't die," she huffed, sending them both a glare. "Doesn't mean you can try and kill each other. Grow up and act like adults. Now, you-" she looked toward Mello, reaching into a bag on her side. "I have something for you."

She removed two knives and held them out in front of her. When Mello didn't move to take them she gave him another glare. "These belonged to my cousin," she explained, finally just forcing them into his hands. "Before he became a mirror king."

"I don't need knives, I've got a gun," Mello informed.

"Your weapons don't work here," Aireio explained. Near automatically thought back to that creature from the day before and how the bullet from Mello's gun had just bounced off its head. "Besides, these blades are powerful. So long as you put your trust into them, they will only harm those you want them to harm."

Glancing down at the blades, Mello gave a shrug before hooking their hilts onto his belt.

"Darkdale is a city to the South West of here," Aireio told Near, pulling out a compass and handing it to him. "South of Darkdale is the Frozen Mountains. The winter shaman master, Glace, lives in a castle there- you should be able to see the top of it from Darkdale. I suggest you gather up plenty of food before you go- and get a bigger bag! Darkdale is almost a full day walk from here and Glace's palace is an almost four day walk from there. Food in Darkdale is nearly twice as expensive, so try and stock up here before you go."

"We have to _walk _for _five days_?" Mello gaped.

"Probably longer," Aireio considered.

"_Great_," Mello huffed.

"Be careful," she warned, frowning widely. "The only people brave or stupid enough to wander the trails now that the monsters are rebelling are thieves. If you are caught by them asleep or unarmed they will not hesitate to kill you, or worse."

"Double_great_!" Mello cried.

"But the monsters are even more ruthless then the thieves," Aireio went on, ignoring Mello. "The _last _thing you want is to come across a creature, unprepared."

"_Triple great_!" Another shriek from Mello.

Patting him on the shoulder, Aireio breathed, "Remember what I've taught you and be _careful_, got it? And _stay together_! Nothing can hurt you wh-"

"-en you're together," Near finished. "I've heard."

"You two should go now," she shooed. "Before it's completely dark out."

"Yeah, yeah," Mello groaned, rolling his eyes. "Let's just get this over and done with as quick as possible. Come on, Near. And you better not walk slow!"

Watching the two of them leave, Aireio frowned to herself. "Good luck, white one. Dark one," she mumbled, but neither heard her.

--

A few hours into the long walk, they'd felt pretty lucky. Not a single 'thief' or 'creature' had appeared along the dusty dirt trail. Despite what Mello had said about doing things as quick as possible a fairly normal pace had been set in a silent agreement between the two of them. Near had chosen to walk despite his ability to float and, although he wouldn't say it out loud, Mello had found that somewhat respectable.

But he still hated Near.

Of all the things Aireio had warned them about, it was one thing she hadn't mentioned that finally got to them- the weather. The raindrops were small at first, almost unnoticeable, but after a few moments they started to fall heavy and quickly. While Mello had his coat to keep him save from the wet, Near's ropes appeared to soak up the water like a sponge. It didn't take a genius (let alone two) to realize that there was no way they'd be able to go on in this downpour and so (from their place hiding beneath the pathetic shelter of a large tree), Mello glanced around in hopes of a solution.

Finding one, he motioned for Near to follow him and together they ran into the rain. After a few quick-paced steps they reached the small cave that Mello had spotted and both of them flopped onto the floor, soaked.

Although his gun didn't work, Mello was thankful that the lighter he always kept on him (because Matt always ended up losing his own) did. After gathering up some twigs that were strewn around the cave he lit a fire and removed his coat to let it dry.

Near, however, was not so lucky. He was soaked and looked about as pathetic as a cat that had been thrown into a pool. Mello watched quietly for a few moments as his white haired companion took a seat by the fire and shivered, expecting him to complain about how wet and cold he was- but, after a while he realized that Near wasn't going to say a thing.

Stubborn arrogant asshole, couldn't even admit that he was cold.

"Take your robes off," Mello ordered, catching Near's attention.

"What?" Near asked rather stupidly.

Rolling his eyes, Mello stood up and approached him. "If you sit around in soaked clothes you're going to get sick. Take them off and let them dry."

Realizing what Mello meant after a few moments Near mumbled a hushed "Oh, right," before moving to take off the robes.

Unfortunately even the bottom layer was soaked. Thanks to this fact Near soon found himself sitting around in his underwear, even colder then he had been before he'd taken his clothes off.

Finding himself a bit tired, Near decided to ignore the dirt floor of their hideaway and curled up next to the fire, shivering.

He laid like that for a little while, quietly. Mello was out of his line of vision and not speaking, so Near had no idea what the blond was doing. That was, until something heavy and extremely warm was placed over him.

Lifting his head to look at Mello in question, Near realized that his companion had placed a now dry and warm red coat over his body.

"Don't look at me like that," Mello hissed, glaring at him. (Was it Near's imagination or did that glare hold less power behind it then they usually did? No, it had to be the fire lighting.) "You were shaking like a pathetic brat. And I don't want you to get sick because then you'll be even more of a bother then you already are."

Once the blonde had stopped explaining himself, Near offered a weak smile and a gentle, "Thank you, Mello."

As if surprised by the words, Mello fell silent. Instead of responding he moved to sit next to the fire once more, face blank. Unreadable… for once.

Still smilingly slightly, Near pulled the coat closer to himself and closed his eyes, letting the sound of the rain falling remind him of days back at Wammy when he would sit quietly and watch it poor from the playroom windows.

The next thing he knew he was being awakened by a rough shake of his shoulders.

"Get up," Mello huffed, now re-dressed in his coat. He'd replaced it on Near's body with the now dry robes. "If we're going to make good time we'll need to get moving."

Wondering what he meant by _good time_, Near pulled himself to his feet and began to do-up the robes once more, this time quickly.

The rain had stopped, leaving a wet layer on the ground. It had warmed up a bit, thankfully, but there was still a slight chill in the air. They walked in silence for some time before Mello apparently got fed up with it and asked, "What are those stupid things for, anyway?" Motioning to Near's attire.

Glancing down at himself (he supposed they were strange, although he'd seen people wearing things just like them around here… still, to himself and Mello, the outfit was an odd one), Near repeated what he had been told, "Apparently the man who made them weaved magic in with the threads for protection." Mello snorted at the idea and Near couldn't really blame him… the blonde hadn't seen any sort of magic yet and while Near had actually learned to do it himself, the idea of it was still one to laugh at. "And the sleeves are this long to protect my hands when I cast spells, otherwise they could get burned?"

"I guess all that makes sense," Mello mused, before informing, "But they still look retarded."

"At least I don't have to wear what Quarrel was wearing," Near pointed out.

Mello laughed at the idea for a moment before he seemed to realize what he was doing. He and Near both fell silent, an uncomfortable feeling washing between them… had they just had a somewhat normal conversation? Was that even _possible_?

To break the silence (and perhaps to see if this 'normal conversation' was a freak accident or if it could become a normal occurrence), Near asked a question that had been on his mind. "In the 'world' Mello came from… did L die?"

"Yeah," Mello breathed sadly. "Kira?" He questioned Near.

A nod from the albino. Both of them gave a moment of silence for respect, before Mello mused, "I always thought you disliked L."

"I did, somewhat," Near admitted. "But I still respected him and I still cared for him… He was the only family I ever felt like I had."

"Then why…?" Mello asked, only to receive a questioning look from Near. "When he died," Mello explained, face twisted in confusion. "When Roger told us he was dead, you said that he was a loser because he lost the game."

"I was angry," Near informed, frowning at the shocked look that crossed the blonde's features. "What? I have feelings too. I just hide them better then Mello does."

"Feelings shouldn't be hidden!" Mello snapped.

"They also shouldn't rule one's judgment," Near replied.

"Better to have them and let them rule your judgment then to be cold and robot and completely empty!" Mello argued.

Frowning, Near slipped a hand out of the long sleeves of his robe and twisted it into his hair by habit. "Yeah," he mused. "Mello is right."

"What?" Mello stopped dead in his tracks, giving Near a completely shocked look. The albino stopped as well, turning to look at his partner. "You just-" Mello frowned, features twisting in confusion. "Wait… what?"

"I said Mello is right," Near repeated.

"I_know _that," Mello breathed. "But… _why_?"

"Because Mello is…?" was the offered response.

"But- but- you've- what?" Mello shook his head to clear it before attempting to speak again. "Every time I've said that before you were all, '_No, emotions cloud your judgment_', or something. Now you're _agreeing _with me?"

"Yes, I'm agreeing with Mello," Near said again.

"_Why_?" Mello asked.

"I have my reasons." Another way of saying, _none of your business_.

"No, no! You can't just go and say something like _that _and then tell me '_I have my reasons_'!" The blonde screeched. "I want to know!"

"I'll tell Mello later," Near promised, with no intention of ever doing it.

Groaning, Mello grabbed a fistfuls of hair and tugged on them."I hate you! You're impossible!" He accused.

"Yep!" Near chirped. Then, without offering anything else, he turned and began heading down the path again.

They continued in silence once again. Or at least until a creature a bit like the one from before wandered in front of their path. Both stopped immediately, on high alert- remembering the last time they'd encountered one of these things, and how madly that might have turned out if it hadn't been for… whatever had happened.

At first the monster ignored them, sniffing the ground of the trail quickly. Then, after a few minutes, it lifted its head to look at them. Sniffing the air once or twice, the creature then decided they were either a threat or lunch and grew into its larger form, just like the other one had.

The knives Aireio had given him were in Mello's hands instantly and he took on a defensive pose. Although he carried a gun around, he knew how to fight with a knife as well- it was something one had to know when working with the mafia.

Snarling, the creature gave an angered howl and began to run toward them, full-force. Mello stepped to the side at the last moment as the thing went to tackle him- causing it to land on its face and be dazed for a few seconds. This gave Near a good opportunity and he took it- using one of the tricks Aireio had taught him he gathered up energy, formed it between his hands, and tossed it at the creature. He didn't have the chance to switch to floating, so the force knocked him backward.

Mello watched in a bit of awe as whatever thing Mello had fired at the creature grew larger and engulfed the thing. Then, in a flash of white, where the creature had been there was just a cloud of dust.

"What the _fuck _was that?" He asked Near, who was pulling himself to his feet.

"Magic?" Near offered.

"It looked more like a bomb them magic," Mello breathed.

Shrugging, Near explained, "That's the weakest skill Aireio taught me."

Sending him a glare, Mello muttered something about hurrying up and started storming off in the direction they'd been headed. Near followed without a word.

--

The difference between Darkdale and Eversun was noticeable almost instantly. While Eversun had been crowded and busy, the streets of Darkdale were almost empty- those that were on the streets stopped to stare at them, whispering to each other quietly. Everyone followed them with their eyes, a few even took a step away when they'd get anywhere close to them.

"Is it just me," Mello whispered, "Or are we being stared at like we both have two heads?"

With a frown, Near glanced around the town until he'd spotted the local inn. After pointing it out to Mello the two of them practically ran over to it and slipped inside, letting the door shut behind them.

"Can I help you?" The innkeeper asked from her place at the front desk, looking rather bored.

"How much is it to rent a _single_ room?" Mello questioned, giving Near a glance. The albino (wisely) did not comment.

"Usually a silver," she hummed, moving to look at the keys they had. "But since you and your friend are the white and dark ones I'll give it to you half-price."

"Does everyone know about this stupid legend?" Mello asked no one in particular.

"You're dressed funny," the innkeeper mused, tossing them a key and taking the silver from Near (giving him back his change a few seconds later). "And he's got white hair and what not. Of course everyone's going to realize who you are." Humming, she went back to her previous bored pose. "Don't know why you'd want to hide it anyway. People would likely drop food at your feet if you said you were hungry."

Ignoring this comment, Mello breathed a _thanks _at her and headed for the stairs. Near followed without a word, wondering why Mello hadn't asked for two rooms, but deciding not to ask.

The room was nothing fancy, but it had two beds. The two of them went about things without a word to each other- Mello slipping into the bathroom to take a bath and Near pulling out some food to eat, then switching once Mello had finished. By the time Near had finished his bath, Mello was already in bed. He followed suit and crawled under the covers after draping the outer parts of his robe over a chair.

Still without speaking to each other the two of them fell right to sleep, tired both mentally and physically not only from the walk, but from the realization that had begun to weigh down on them-

These people really did expect them to save them. And not only that, but they were supposed to set this world right again, or else it could screw up all of time or something like that.

(Plus… did this mean they really were 'soul mates'…?)

--

Aireio had been correct about the food in Darkdale – but then again, so had the innkeeper. Near had decided to wander the town early the next morning, while waiting for Mello to wake up and, sure enough, as he walked by some of the food booths the owners had pushed food at him, asking him to try it and using loud voices to get the attentions of anyone around.

After all, whatever their 'savior' liked had to be the best, right?

Pushing any bitter thoughts like this one from his mind, Near gathered all of the things he'd been given and brought them back to the room he and Mello shared.

The blonde was awake, pulling on his coat, when Near entered. "What the hell?" Mello asked, nodding to the stuff as Near dropped it on his bed.

"The people here are friendly," Near mused, before grabbing one specific food item and holding it out to Mello. "Try this."

"What is it?" He asked, giving the thing a nervous look.

"Trust me?" Near tried. Mello gave him a glare, but took the food and nervously look a bite from it.

"Well?" Near questioned, giving a small, pleased smirk.

"It tastes like chocolate," Mello gaped, looking at the strange thing. "Almost exactly like it… It looks fucked up but…"

"I tried it earlier and I thought of Mello," Near explained. "I grabbed a lot more for the trip. I also got us both better bags to carry our stuff in."

"People just… gave you all this?" Mello questioned as Near dragged out the bags from underneath the pile.

"More like forced it on me."

"Maybe standing out's not so bad." Looking over all of it, Mello grabbed something and held it up. "What's this supposed to do?" He questioned. Glancing at him, Near noticed that he was holding up a rather simple looking light blue choker, with a single gem hanging from it.

"Look nice?" Near offered.

With a shrug, Mello moved over to Near and undid the clasp, wrapping it around the albino's neck. When Near gave him a confused look he explained, "It goes with your outfit, somewhat. And who knows, maybe it will protect you from harm or something?"

Although doubting it, Near decided to just go with the flow and left it.

Now with chocolate (or at least something that tasted like chocolate, although it looked more like a squid), Mello's mood had improved. Unfortunately, it had fallen flat again as soon as he had seen just how far away the castle they were headed to was.

"Four days," he groaned for about the twentieth time in fifteen minutes. "More like seven! It's a little _dot _up in the _mountains_somewhere… how are we going to get up there in four days!? Let alone- did we pack enough food? How are we going to keep from_freezing _to death!? Oh wait, we can't die- but that doesn't mean it won't _hurt_!"

After almost an hour of this, Mello finally stopped. Near, however, had tuned him out quite some time ago and found himself walking along, lost in his own thoughts.

"Earth to Near?" Was how Mello finally caught his attention again, waving a hand in front of his face. "Get off of Pluto and come back."

"Sorry," Near breathed, shaking his head to clear it. Then, "Pluto's not a planet anymore."

"I was seeing if you were paying attention," Mello informed, lifting an eyebrow. "What's got you all distracted?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"I don't want to tell Mello."

"Then say that instead of 'nothing'."

"I just did?"

Rolling his eyes, Mello turned his eyes back to the trail ahead, muttering, "You're impossible."

"So Mello has told me," Near hummed.

"You're also a spoiled brat," Mello went on.

Near half-ignored him, answering, "Mello has told me that, too."

"And an asshole."

"That as well."

"Plus, really annoying."

"And that."

"And kind of cute when you're asleep."

"And t- wait, what?"

Mello gave him an odd look before pointing out, "You're off today."

"I'm just thinking," Near explained.

"Care to share?" Mello questioned, although he didn't expect Near to.

"When this is all over, do you think we'll really go back home?" Near asked, catching Mello off guard.

Frowning slightly the blonde stated, "Yeah, probably. Why, don't you want to?" Near didn't answer this question. Mello gave him a sour look, asking, "Why don't you want to go back?"

"I'll tell Mello later," Near said for the second time, still with no intention of saying it.

"I'm holding you to that," Mello swore. "I'll get it out of you even if I have to torture you for it."

Snorting a bit in amusement, Near spared Mello a small smile. "Okay," he agreed, with a nod. "I really will tell Mello later."

And maybe, just maybe- this time he actually meant it.

--

It was about a day before they finally reached the foot of the mountain, but when they did they both knew it almost instantly. Snow had built up on the path and a cold chill washed over them, a chill that went deep below the surface and into the very core. They both found that no amount of walking or shivering could keep them warm- this cold was unlike one either of them could remember feeling.

The trail began to curve upward, making the walk harder then it had been before. Barely two hours into the walk and they'd stopped to rest.

"We've been walking for a while and it still looks as far away as it did from the city," Mello groaned, looking up at the peek of the castle.

"Maybe it's supposed to stay looking small?" Near offered with a frown. "To hide it better or… something."

"I hope so," Mello breathed, sounding rather frustrated. He rubbed at his arms before giving Near a glance, "Are those things warm, at all?" Referring to the robes.

"Not really," Near replied, looking down at himself. "They're really light material."

Another annoyed groan from his companion. "_Wonderful_. Hopefully that castle is warm." Glancing around, he frowned. "I don't think we'll be able to find any dry wood for a fire."

"Maybe there will be some higher up?" Near hoped.

"What's with you, Mr. Optimism?" Mello asked.

"Well if Mello is going to be a pessimist, the least I can do is try," Near explained.

"_Sorry_," Mello hissed. "I'm cold, tired, pissed off, and stuck with _you_."

"Sounds horrible," Near hummed.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you," Mello huffed.

Without giving an answer, Near pulled himself to his feet again, rubbing at his arms in an attempt to warm them up. Mello stood only a few seconds later, dusting imaginary (or, possibly, real) dirt from his knees. He then began heading up the trail, once more, glancing to Near every so often.

"You know," he muttered, watching for any sort of reaction from his albino companion. "You don't have to walk. I mean, if you can float, why not just float?"

"I don't like to," Near responded, only partly honest. He thought it unfair, an advantage over Mello- and while maybe Mello thought he liked the advantage, the truth was that the only reason Near actually respected the blonde was because they were complete equals and Mello still managed to almost meet with him.

With a roll of his eyes, Mello grumbled out, "Fine… just as long as you don't start bitching because your feet hurt, or something."

They continued on in silence for quite some time, if it was a comfortable one or not Near wasn't quite sure. While he was comfortable enough, Mello appeared to be on edge. Then again, Mello always appeared on edge, at least to Near. His unstable emotional state was always one that Near could not understand… he was fairly sure that Mello could not understand his own choices when it came to such things, though.

It had just turned dark when it happened. A complete accident, one that would not have happened, had it been bright out. They would have seen it- in the dark, it looked just like part of the trail, snow-covered and what not… In the light of day they would have seen the trail curl off to the nearby bridge.

Near had been walking ahead, for no real reason other then he'd simply fallen into a quicker step. He hadn't even noticed Mello was far behind him until he'd heard the _crack _of ice breaking.

Near had to be a good thirty or so lbs lighter then Mello, considering he'd crossed the frozen creek without the ice breaking. Then again, the added weight of Mello's clothing, his weapons, and all that probably made him more then forty lbs heavier. But no matter how much their weight difference, the fact stood that now Mello was sitting in very cold water, in very cold weather, in the middle of a frozen forest with no way to start a fire or dry off his clothes.

Near couldn't help but be amused at the irony. Although he kept his amusement to himself as the chances that Mello would pull out his gun and shoot were in the 90 percents. And while Mello's weapon didn't work on the creatures here, if or if not they worked on him was not something Near felt like testing.

"Great," Mello groaned as they walked along, his teeth clattering. "Now not only am I stuck with you, but I'm cold, _soaked_, and probably going to get frost bite or something."

"It could be worse?" Near offered.

"Fuck you," Mello snapped. "Let's shove you into a frozen creek and then you can say that."

Sparing the blonde a small, sympathetic look, Near continued on for a little while (listening to Mello bitch) before he noticed something through the trees.

"Look," he pointed, catching his companion's attention.

Squinting into the darkness, Mello shook his head. "I don't see anything."

Wondering of Sylphs had better eyesight, Near motioned for Mello to follow him and headed toward what he had seen.

To their surprise they came upon a small cave with an already lit fire- a quick glance around proved it to be completely devoid of people. At first, both were wary, but after spotting the small note some feet away from the fire, both plopped down on the ground thankfully.

_Mihael & Nate,_

_I figured you could use a little bit of magic to help you along. Enjoy._

_-Kamariya_

Slipping out of his clothes and laying them out to dry, Mello glared into the fire in silence. He was _freezing_, and worse off he was fairly certain he was going to catch a cold or worse. All this to visit some stupid guy so Near could learn hocus pocus or some shit- all Mello wanted was to finish this stupid quest and go back home.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Near slipping one of the outer layers of his robe around his shoulders. It wasn't until a few moments later that Mello realized that Near had one less layer on- then he felt the silky cloth on his skin. Near had been right about the material being thing, but it was something, at least.

Mello refused to say thanks, though- and Near didn't seem to mind, curling up next to the fire in silence.

The albino drifted off to sleep, or so it seemed. As far as Mello could remember, back at Wammy's, Near had always been able to sleep quickly… there had been a time when Roger had forced them to share a room, hoping it would make them work out their differences, or at least ease the fighting. He'd been wrong, of course, but it had brought a bit more pieces of the mystery that was Near to Mello's attention.

He knew next to nothing about his younger rival. Near was more secretive then L at times, or so it seemed. While some of the other kids at the orphanage were quiet about their pasts, Near instead acted like he didn't have one. Quite a few times Mello had heard a girl named Linda asking him things that everyone wanted to know; _What happened to your mommy and daddy_, _where did you live before you came here_. And Near, instead of just blowing her off, would always say, _I never had one_, and _I've always lived here_. (Matt had suggested that Near had been brought here as a baby, but Mello had shot that down. He was at the orphanage before Near came, he remembered the little white haired boy being dropped in the playroom. Near had to come from somewhere, no matter how much he denied it.)

As far as Mello knew, Near didn't know much about him, either. Unless Matt had spilled, but the redhead was third best… no idiot. Plus, Mello had doubts that he'd ever spoken to Near, outside of the fights they would pick as children. Matt was a loner, other children bored him and Near was even more boring then the average kid.

A shift from the albino brought Mello back to reality, or at least the reality they were currently stuck in.

It had been almost five years since he had seen Near- the last few seconds of life leaving those darkened eyes- and this one looked different. Grown. Twenty two, that was how old he had to be, now… Still young, by society standards, but he no longer looked it. The Near that Mello remembered had been a tiny, sick little thing. In and out of doctors offices and hospitals, growing up. Always underweight and short, not to mention a round face and eyes. Near had the appearance of a twelve year old, even at eighteen. But this Near… he'd out-grown his baby face and held a more adult appearance. (He also appeared tired, Mello had noticed. Worn, like the troubles of life had finally caught up with him.)

Deciding that all of this thinking about Near might make him obsessed (again), Mello pulled the thin robe around himself and made himself comfortable, hoping his clothes would be dry by the time he awoke.

Unfortunately, to make matters worse, a cold chill washed over the area during the night. And Mello, by no means dry, found himself wide-awake and freezing.

He had been fairly convinced this was a dream, despite how long it had appeared to last and how realistic it seemed- but now, with the bitter cold nipping under his skin, almost _alive_, he was beginning to realize just how much of a reality this was.

Near had apparently been awoken by his teeth clattering, or something, because the next thing he knew the younger man was curling up next to him. And while a second body was perhaps the warmth Mello needed to get out of this without frostbite, he still pulled away at the initial touch.

"You're going to freeze to death," Near said in an almost scolding voice, grabbing hold of Mello and dragging him back up against his body.

"I can't die," Mello hissed, but he moved in to the younger man anyway.

"You can still get sick, I'm sure," Near hummed, wrapping thin arms around Mello's middle. "Or frost bite."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up, brat, so I can try and get some sleep." Trying to ignore the (somewhat triumphant) smile that crossed Near's face, Mello let his eyes slip closed and tried to drift back to sleep. He found it difficult, however… he'd never liked sleeping next to someone else and Near's robes were cold against his skin… he could feel white hair brushing against him as the younger man moved closer, their bodies touching. Mello supposed this was the point of body-heat, but he felt more uncomfortable then warm.

Near didn't seem to happy with the touching, either. His body was stiff and he appeared completely unrelaxed, but kept his eyes closed and tried to stay still so they could both get at least a little more rest. Mello found himself unsurprised by this reaction, Near had never liked being touched (at least as a kid), let alone curling up to another person.

After a while he managed to drift into a restless sleep, only to awaken a good few hours later when Near pulled away from him… it had to be the lack of body warmth that woke him, since his companion was being quiet and careful.

Deciding to feign sleep a little bit longer, Mello let his eyes drift most of the way shut. Near either didn't notice or didn't care, moving across the fire and sitting down beside Mello's coat. As he lifted it up it was obvious to the blonde that his clothes were still soaked- not only from the water dripping but from the look of distaste on Near's face. He watched in (just a little bit of) shock as the albino laid the clothes back down and laid his hand out over them- a ball of magic (or whatever the hell it was) appeared above his hands, twisting around and following his fingers as he moved them over Mello's jacket, up and down, like wiping off a window.

Near continued to do this to some time, to each article of clothing in turn. And while Mello remembered that Near had said something about the sleeves on his robe being long to protect his hands from burns, he didn't think magic (or whatever it was) would be hot enough to dry his clothes.

But, sure enough, by the time Mello was forcing himself to finally get up, Near was folding up his dry clothes and bringing them over to him.

"They're dry enough that you can wear them," Near informed, making no mention that he was the one to dry them.

Giving him a quickly muttered "Thanks," Mello grabbed his clothes and quickly pulled them on. They felt warm against his skin, warm like they'd been in a heater all night long. Mello knew better, of course, but didn't bring it up.

After eating a light breakfast (as the two of them had never been into food much, aside from Mello's addiction to chocolate), they ventured out, back into the snow. Mello's clothes eventually cooled off, while Near spent the entire time shivering.

They made better time; the peek of the castle they could see appeared to be getting closer. By the time night had fallen and they decided to stop again, it looked like it would be only another day's walk. From their spot in a clearing they could see the spiral designs on the top of the castle's peek. It appeared as if the place they were headed was inside of a crater, or over the top of the closest mountain. They both hoped it wasn't too far over the top, or they would be walking for a few more days.

Neither managed to sleep, they couldn't find a warm place to curl up and ended up stopping in the middle of a clearing. Eventually snow began to fall so they gave up and decided to start walking again.

Although neither of them said anything, Mello could tell (after sneaking a few glances to Near, who had begun to fall behind) that the walk was wearing the albino down. Near had ever been very active, preferring to spend most of his time on the floor, crashing his trains into one another or doing puzzles. Their walk was beginning to wear Mello down, he could only imagine how tired Near must feel… still, not a complaint from the younger man. Stuck up Near, worried about his pride. He would probably pass out before admitting he was tired. And while maybe Mello was a hypocrite because he would do the same, it still irked him.

While he preferred the silence, the quiet eventually got to him, and Mello finally spoke. "Aren't you tired?" He questioned, snappish. Irritated and cold, not to mention miserable, it wasn't surprising that he was in a bad mood. (Not that he was ever in a _good _mood.)

"Are you?" Near turned the question around.

"I asked you first," Mello hissed childishly.

"And I asked Mello second," Near responded, dead-pan.

"Do you always have to be so difficult?" Mello groaned.

"I wouldn't be me otherwise," Near hummed honestly.

"I'd prefer it if you weren't you."

"Well I would be sad if Mello wasn't Mello."

"Do you even know how to be sad?"

"I don't think being sad is something that a person can forget."

Glaring heavily (and wishing looks could kill), Mello growled, "You certainly act like you forget how to be sad, or how to feel at _all_."

Near stared at him with a straight face, eyes half-lidded and obviously worn. He looked… tired, old. Like a man who had seen too much and was just ready to die. His lips were straight but his eyes were a pool of emotion, something Mello was not used to seeing. Was it because this Near wasn't the one he knew, or did four years just change someone that much? Either way, that tired look defused whatever anger he had managed to build up in this cold and he gave a low groan, turning around and continuing their journey.

Near fell into step behind him once again, falling silent.

"Did you forget how to speak?" Mello asked after a few moments.

"I don't have anything to say," Near responded.

Rolling his eyes again, Mello asked, "Nothing to say?" Without really caring for the answer.

"Actually…" Near mumbled, catching him off guard. "I want to know how Matt is doing."

"What's it to you?" Mello questioned, glancing back at him. "Why does that matter?"

"Matt died around the same time Mello did, back in my 'reality'," Near explained. "If he is alive in Mello's, I would like to know how he is doing."

Still not quite understanding why Near would care, Mello explained, "That fucking bastard is just fine, unfortunately."

He heard the second pair of footsteps cease and stopped as well, turning to look at the frozen albino. "What?" Mello sneered. "Did some witch cast a freezing spell on you?"

"Mello was joking, right?" Near asked. "Saying that about Matt."

"No," Mello huffed, crossing his arms. "Fucker is fine."

"Why is Mello calling him that?" Near breathed. "Friends do not usually say such things about each other, right?"

"Friends?" Mello scoffed, before laughing. Near stared at him in confusion (which looked really stupid on his face), making Mello's laughter die. "You're totally serious?" A nod. "Matt and I are _not_friends."

Near shook his head, dumbstruck. (Mello was nearly dumbstruck seeing that look on his companion.) "Mello and Matt are best friends… they have been best friends since Wammy. I can't remember a day back then they didn't spend together…"

If it wasn't for that stupid look on Near's face, Mello would think he was joking. But apparently Near was being completely serious.

"I hate Matt," he attempted to explain. "When we were little I stopped some kids from beating him up. He said he was in debt to me and followed me around everywhere. I tried to ditch him but he wouldn't budge."

Near continued to look dumbstruck and now a bit confused. Mello, however, could not understand it- Why would Near think that he and Matt would be friends? Many days he wanted to punch the redhead and he'd tried for years to get the bastard off his back, but now he was kind of stuck with the man as the 'Watari' to his 'L'. Did his 'other world' self seriously befriend the annoying fuck?

"Stop looking so shocked," Mello snapped. "You look like a dumbass."

"Hearing you talk about Matt… it just… shocks me," Near admitted.

Ignoring that comment Mello gave a shrug and began walking again, calling back, "Next you're going to tell me you're married to Linda."

"Our daughter, Piper, will be four next June."

That made the blonde stop dead in his tracks. "_What_?"

Near gave one of those annoying smiles before he began walking again, passing Mello. "I'm joking, Mello."

Well. First Near was giving stupid shocked faces, then he was making jokes. What would be next?

--

Oh ho! Plot twist! ...Not really.

Seki brought up the fact that Matt is always written as Mello's best friend and that she wants to see him written as just a worker of Mello's, for once. She got the idea stuck in my head so I decided to throw it in here! Since this Mello is a different Mello, there is bound to be some differences, right?

I'm sorry about how weird Near keeps acting... he has his reasons, but like he said, he'll tell them to Mello later. It wont be too much later- you guys don't have to wait long. It will all make sense by the end of the fanfic I can tell you that much.

This chapter was a lot of blah blah, I know. I cut out all the scenes where Near and Mello learn magic and shit because honestly, it bores me to write it out- and I'm sure you guys don't care about reading it, yeah? It's boring, at least I think so. Sadly I can't cut out all of the walking scenes, but I do try to spice them up with some conversations.

**Next chapter**! Mello and Near meet the next Mirror king, Glace... and they learn some stuff that was not mentioned before.


	4. Glace and the Ice Castle

**Dream of Mirror **

**Chapter 4 **

**Glace and the ice castle**

** Ice-Puppet**

**Author notes**: Ah, chapter four! So sorry this took so long... I wanted to get well ahead so that you wouldn't have to wait for chapter 5... though I haven't even finished it yet. Twelve days between updates, yikes! I like to keep it down to a week, but this story is fighting to be written!

I know I keep promising things will be explained- and they do! But not in this chapter... still, I hope you enjoy it! NEXT CHAPTER, FOR A FACT. I know because I've written it already ;D

--

After another day and a half of walking (and half a day of resting) they finally managed to reach the castle- and by castle, Aireio had apparently meant giant ice palace. Everything that they could see was made out of ice and covered in snow, but perhaps the oddest thing was that the inside was as warm as it would be sitting next to a huge fire.

Magic, or something.

As soon as they'd stepped up to the door they'd been rushed inside. A young boy, Sylph (as they could tell by the fact that he was_floating_), with long sleeves and a stuffed doll under one armed, met them at the door. He mumbled about cold weather and long journeys before he gave them warm smile and dragged them along to a dining area, sitting them both down in front of bowls of what looked like warm vegetable soup.

It tasted more like mint.

"You two must be worn," the young man said, sitting down beside Near. "Was your journey a hard one? It is quite a hard venture to this castle, I must say. I will make you up some rooms."

"We've had worse," Mello mused (thinking instantly of the fight with Kira) as he sipped at the soup. While he wasn't quite the fan of mint each spoonful seemed to warm his body up a few degrees.

"Oh I'm certain you must have," the boy laughed, before asking, "What brings the White and Dark ones here, hm?"

"We've come to see Glace," Near explained, drinking his soup little sips at a time. "The winter Shaman… Aireio told me he can teach me winter magic."

"Ah, yes, I can do that!" The boy giggled, ignoring Mello's gaping face. "I built this castle myself using my magic, teaching you shouldn't be a big deal!"

"_You_are Glace?" Mello breathed in disbelief.

"And_you _are Mihael Keehl," Glace giggled, reaching forward and poking Mello's nose. He ignored the off look that Near sent his way as he turned to the albino. "And _you _are Nate River. But I hear you prefer to go by Mello and Near, right? Weird names, by the way. But you're not from this world, maybe where you come from they're not so weird."

"How do you know that?" Mello questioned, nervously.

"I'm not reading your mind," Glace informed. "I'm just well connected. Well, that, and the fact that Kamariya contacted me using one of the mirrors about an hour ago. She told me you were coming."

"You're a mirror king," Near stated, obviously catching on.

"Yep!" Glace chirped. "I'm also the master of Winter Shamans, younger brother of Fuoco, and avid stuffed animal collector."

"I hate him already," Mello mumbled, thinking how alike Glace and Near were (although the only thing they appeared to have in common was a love of toys and as far as he knew Near didn't own any stuffed animals).

Pouting, Glace sent Mello a mock glare as he yelped, "Well I don't like you much either Mr. Moody pants!"

"You act like you're four," Mello hissed.

"At least I don't look my age!" Glace retorted.

Sighing, Near pushed his bowl away, stopping the fight before it started.

"You don't like my soup?" Glace questioned, sounding hurt. "I made it just for you- it'll warm you right up!"

"I'm warm enough," Near informed. "And I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure?" The Mirror King inquired, twisting around in the air and looking Near over. "You look thinner then a light post! How much do you weigh?"

"Not enough," came the deadpanned response. "If you don't mind, I'd really like some rest. Could you show me to one of those rooms?"

"Ah, yes!" Forgetting the previous topic, Glace clapped his hands together before motioning for Near to follow him. "I'm assuming two rooms as Kamariya told me you two have quite a dislike of each other?"

"Kamariya needs to learn to keep her mouth shut," Mello huffed.

"Maybe you need to learn to keep your mouth open!" Glace giggled. "Now- those rooms? Far apart, yes? As far apart as possible? Or maybe next to each other?"

"It doesn't matter so long as it has a bed," Near cut in.

"Okay, okay," Glace mused, waving a hand. "It get it."

A few moments later he was leading Near off to a room while Mello finished his dinner. The room he left him in was large and if Near hadn't seen the outside of the castle he would never have believed it was made of ice. The blankets and sheets in the bed were the softest thing he could ever remember feeling and as he slipped between them he drifted right off to sleep without a problem.

Glace returned to Mello, then, smiling warmly. "Your friend is all settled in," he informed, taking the seat Near had been in.

"He's not my friend," Mello defended instantly.

"Oh?" Glace questioned, dropping his chin into his hand and leaning against the table. "Well then… what is he?"

"My rival," came the answer.

"Why's that?"

"None of your business." Looking the young man up and down, Mello sneered, "You ask a lot of questions."

Smiling warmly, Glace responded with, "You don't give a lot of answers."

Rolling his eyes at the young man's antics (which were quickly getting on his nerves), Mello asked, "Want to show me to my room or are we going to play twenty questions all night long?"

"Oh, I suppose I could take you there," Glace mused, getting up. "But twenty questions would be very fun to play."

"I hate games," Mello informed coldly.

"You hate Near too," Glace mused with a strangely gentle smile. "But you've certainly come far without killing him."

As the Mirror King led him back to his room in silence, Mello wondered when he had ever mentioned that he 'hated' Near.

Stupid Kamariya.

--

The next morning, Mello awoke to the side of his room exploding in a large burst of snow and ice. While scrambling away from the disaster he heard an annoyingly amused Near yell out, "Woops, my bad." Glace laughed somewhere nearby and the destroyed wall reformed perfectly, as if it had never been touched.

Falling back asleep now impossible, Mello pulled himself out of bed and wandered around the ice castle until he found the exit into the court yard, where Near stood with Glace.

"You have horrible aim," Glace informed as Mello approached.

"It's hard to control," Near replied. He was standing, one hand against his chest, the other above his head- the pose would probably be a stupid one if snow wasn't swirling around him like something out of a movie. And Mello- who had never really believed in magic, despite all of the things he had seen so far- watched in awe as the snow twisted up above him, swirled around, and zoomed off toward a nearby statue. Much like the wall to his room had been destroyed, where the statue once stood there was now broken ice.

The nearby target stood untouched.

"Nice," Mello snorted, rolling his eyes. Glace giggled in response. A wave of the mirror king's hand and the statue rebuilt itself.

"At least you didn't take out another room this time?" He offered to Near, who appeared almost frustrated.

"Is that an easy spell and you're having trouble getting it down?" Mello questioned, hoping that something powerful enough to take out the side of a building wasn't an 'easy' spell.

"He's got the basics down," Glace informed, shifting the doll (a different one from the day before) under his arm to a different position. "This spell isn't the most powerful but it's definitely not 'easy'. His aim is _horrid, _however."

"How many times have you tried it?" Mello asked.

"Seven," Near informed, looking a bit worn.

"And how many times have you hit the target?"

A small glare from the younger man. "Zero."

Mello couldn't help but laugh. "Oh come on, it can't be _that_hard."

"I'd_love _to see you try," Near sneered, obviously irritated. An odd look on him.

"I can't do hocus pocus," Mello reminded. "I'm not a Slylph or whatever it is."

"Sylph," Glace corrected.

"Whatever," he responded. "I can't do magic or whatever."

"Humans can do magic," Glace giggled. "And you'll have to learn magic too, being the dark one and all."

"What?" Mello questioned. Near perked up a bit in interest, too.

Glace gave both of them a shocked look, before letting out a groan and dropping his head into his hands. "Kamariya didn't tell you!?"

"Didn't tell us what?" Near asked, moving to sit down (on the ground, which was devoid of snow). Magic must take a lot out of him, he was looking worse for the wear.

"That stupid witch!" Glace sighed, shaking his head.

Mello glanced to Near, who returned the look. They were both getting tired of things being kept from them.

"We ten mirror kings," Glace began to explain, taking a seat as well (or rather, floating in mid-air). "Each are chosen by the previous mirror king. Each of us are the master of one element- not seasons, like shamans, but elements. For example, I master ice-" He motioned to his castle. "Kamariya is a master of strength, Quarrel masters Electricity. Now, in order to defeat Holand, we will have to pass our powers on to one of you- five with go to Near, five to Mello."

"Wait, wait, hold on-" Mello interrupted, crossing his arms. "Who is Holand?"

"Holand is the leader of the resistance," Glace informed. "She is the one that is causing the monsters to act out- she is creating an army to try and take over. She wants to move to the reality of this mirrored universe and take it over, but in order to do that she will need the powers of all ten mirror kings. The only way to receive the magic from a mirror king, however, is if that mirror king gives that power up willingly."

"So why are we here…?" Mello asked, looking toward Near once more. "Can't you all stop her, or something?"

"Well…" Glace hummed, tilting his head. "Holand is able to control the monsters of this world. She may be able to convince one of us to give us her powers by kidnapping someone we care about and threatening them, or threatening an entire town- something along those lines. We are all hiding and not giving our positions away to each other- save for one person. For example, I know where one of my fellow kings is hidden, and he knows where the next is, then the next will know where the next is- so on from there. If we give our powers to you, Holand will not be able to take them if you two stick together."

"More crap about soul mates," Mello muttered. Glace ignored him.

"Holand will try anything in her power to separate you too," he informed with a very serious look on his face. "If she manages to pull you two apart, she can take your abilities from you. You have to make sure you stay together!"

Giving and annoyed noise, Mello hissed, "I still don't see why you ten don't just go in together and kill her. Ten of you would be better then two of us, right?"

"Actually," Near hummed, glancing up at Mello once more. "If you have five abilities and I have five, we would learn how to use all of those ten abilities together, instead of five separate people attempting to fight one person. Quantity is not necessarily better then quality."

Understanding more then he would let on, Mello went to sit on a nearby bench before inquiring, "What abilities do I get?"

"I wish I could tell you," Glace informed with a frown. "But I haven't kept in touch with anyone, save for Kamariya. The only thing I know is that my abilities will go to Near."

"What different abilities are there?" Near asked, moving to stand again.

Humming, Glace thought for a moment, before answering. "Ice, which is mine. Fire, that belongs to my brother, Fuoco. Strength, which is Kamariya. Electricity, belonging to Quarrel. Kayen owns Day, Arret owns Night. Kenji has Earth, Seishi has water… Red has speed and LiSen's got wind."

"Day and Night?" Mello mused. "Those are 'elements'? What kind of magic can you use for 'day' and 'night'…?"

"What kind of notebook kills someone when their name is written in it?" Near retorted.

"Point taken," Mello sneered.

"Shall we take a break?" Glace questioned Near.

"I would rather not," Near informed. "I will never get this down if I don't practice."

Smiling, Glace switched to a standing position. "Why don't you practiced your aim while I go get you two something to eat?" Without waiting for an answer, he headed back inside.

Mello watched as Near switched back into the same position from before- snow and ice appearing around him, twisting around and building up. It shot out after a few moments, heading toward the target but missing it by five feet or so.

Watching the younger man give a frustrated glare and drop back to the ground, Mello asked, "Is it really that difficult?"

"Casting it is in the mind," Near informed, using the back of his sleeve covered hand to push some hair from his eyes. "Mello should have an easy time with it-" He ignored the somewhat dumbstruck look the blonde wore with those words. "But aiming isn't easy. My eyesight is better then it was back in my 'reality', but I'm not so sure it's all about how well I can see. It's not like I'm throwing it, like I did with that small ball of magic Aireio taught me to make… I'm technically throwing a _storm _at a _target_…"

"Are you sure you're Near?" Mello questioned, ignoring the confused look he received. "The Near I knew acted like emotions were a weakness, like using them was a bad thing. But you… act different."

"People change," Near informed, turning his face away. He pulled himself to stand again, moving back into position.

"So you used to be like him?" Mello asked.

"I used to be like that," Near corrected.

"What changed?" An honest question, not asked in anger or anything other then curiosity.

Near glanced at him for a few moments before he answered, "People change," once again.

"People don't just change," Mello hummed. "Things change them."

"Do my reasons matter that much?"

A glare from the blonde. "Yes."

A sigh. "I'll tell you later," Near said for perhaps the fourth time since they had met in this strange world.

"Do you ever plan on telling me?" Mello huffed.

After building up magic, aiming, and finally hitting the target (which burst into shards of ice much like glace), Near informed, "Yes."

"Ah, I see you hit your target!" Glace squealed as he approached, two plates in hand- he dropped one into Mello's lap, taking the other over to Near. The food- whatever it was- looked like a big pile of marshmallows covered in ranch dressing.

It tasted more like sushi.

"After you eat, we'll take a break. Then, we work on the harder stuff!" Smiling brightly for a few moments, Glace then turned to Mello, informing, "And you- you will be training, as well."

"I thought I didn't get to learn your 'magic'," Mello hummed dryly.

Giggling, Glace shook his head. "You don't- but you'll need to learn how to fight with those blades Aireio gave you."

"I can fight just fine with- wait," Mello paused, giving Glace a confused look. "How did you know about those?"

The young man gave an amused roll of his eyes before he motioned to Mello's waist. "I can see them, under your coat. I've known Aireio and LiSen long enough to recognize those in a heartbeat."

Mello spared a glance to Near, who eyed the plate before him with a hint of disgust. "I can fight just fine," he said again, turning back to Glace. It was, in fact, the truth- he had hung around with the mafia long enough to know how to fight with knives.

"Still," the mirror king hummed. "It's best to be prepared!"

Before Mello could argue, Glace was turning back to Near. With a wave of his hand, the target that Near had smashed reformed. The winter shaman giggled and looked toward the albino, explaining, "Once I give you my abilities, you will be able to do that."

(Mello swore he detected a hint of sadness in Glace's voice, but he pushed it aside.)

"Shouldn't you be giving him your powers so you can teach him how to use them?" Mello asked, realizing a few seconds later how screwed up that was. It was almost like he was getting used to being in this place, used to all the 'magic' and 'hocus pocus'.

But that couldn't be happening. No way. This was all a stupid, retarded, realistic dream- he would be waking up any time soon, Matt standing over him, pissed off. A dream- this was a dream.

He was starting to believe that a little bit less every passing moment.

Laughing, Glace lifted a finger from below his long sleeves and shook it back and forth, much the way Roger used to do when he was scolding Mello for stealing Chocolate.

"He needs to learn to control magic before I give him something so powerful," Glace explained. "If I just gave him really powerful magic and threw him out the door he would probably end up blowing himself up."

"We can't die," Mello informed.

"But you can feel pain," Glace mused, putting his hands on his hips. "Alright, break time. Feel free to roam around, I'll come get the two of you in about an hour."

Before either could say anything, Glace was leaving them once more. A moment of silence stretched between them before Near stood up, placing the plate on a nearby bench. He turned to leave without a word.

Mello called out to stop him, however, "You didn't even touch your plate." Concern? No. Curiosity.

"I'm not hungry," Near responded, stopping in mid-step. He didn't turn, however.

"Yeah, right," Mello muttered, rolling his eyes- annoyance. Not concern. Never concern, not for Near- "You barely ate anything on the way here, in fact you've barely eaten anything at all. I really doubt it's because you're 'not hungry'. What the fuck is going on?"

A glance over his shoulder, but not enough of one to read his face. "I don't feel well," Near stated, deadpanned. Mello was unsure if he was being honest or just trying to get his companion off his back- either way, Mello gave an annoyed groan, but didn't bother to continue with his questioning.

After finishing off his food, Mello decided to explore the giant castle. He wandered around for a while, looking over all of the ice statues and structures- he could tell Glace had spent a lot of time on this place and had to wonder… after Glace gave Near his 'magic', would he lose it forever? Would Near be unable to give it back? Would this castle disappear?

What would happen to Glace and all of the other mirror kings?

Almost an hour after he'd started his search, Mello smacked into Near when going around a corner. While Mello managed to keep his footing, Near ended up landing on his bum.

"Watch where you're going!" Mello snapped, not offering and help to his companion.

"Sorry," Near offered in a somewhat tired voice, pulling himself to his feet. He must have missed the look Mello gave him, because he didn't comment. Near looked like he hadn't slept in a week, tired enough he could probably put L to shame.

"What the hell is up with you?" Mello asked, looking Near up and down. Then, before Near could give him another 'none of your business' or 'I'm fine', Mello gave a roll of his eyes and cut him off with, "You know what? Never mind. I don't care." Near spared him a glance, probably meant to be cold but he just looked incredibly worn.

"Oh good!" Glace chirped, approaching the two of them with a smile. "You two are together! I don't have to search all over for you!" Neither gave him any comment so he motioned for them to follow. Without a word, both moved to do so. They headed down a hallway, the way Mello had come from. After a few moments of walking (or floating), they stopped at a door.

"Wait in here for me please, Mello," Glace asked, opening the door and motioning inside. Giving a huff if indifference, Mello slipped inside, watching as Glace whispered something to Near and lead him off somewhere.

The Mirror king returned after a few moments, carrying a large stuffed doll under his arm. When Mello sent him an odd look he explained, "Well, you'll need something to fight against- and my magic would be too much for a beginner."

"I'm not a beginner," Mello huffed. "And I'm going to be fighting a_stuffed toy_?"

As if to explain, Glace released the toy- it twisted around, hanging like there were strings attached to it.

Not very threatening with it's cute and fuzzy smiling face.

"Pull out your weapons," Glace instructed.

"I don't take orders," Mello informed, crossing his arms.

A few seconds later he hit the floor, rolling backward and slamming into a nearby wall. The stuffed toy moved away from where it had smashed into him, returning back to Glace.

Cute, fuzzy, and apparently filled with bricks.

"Pull out your weapons," Glace said again.

Mello complied without a fight.

--

Glace had been impressed by Mello's ability to fight- well, at least he had been at first. After complimenting the blonde, Glace had then worked him twice as hard. By the time the sun was going down Mello was dragging himself to his room, ready to pass out. He realized, however, after laying on the bed for a good ten minuets that he was covered in sweat and probably smelled horrible.

With a frustrated groan, Mello dragged his body to stand. He moved to the doorway after realizing the bathroom connected to his room had no bath in it. Surprisingly (or maybe not so much, in this world), Glace was standing by his door as he pulled it open.

"I was just going to tell you, you should take a bath!" The Sylph chirped, showing him a pile of clothing. "These are for you to wear while your things are being washed. You can keep them if you like, but I doubt you will. Your sense of fashion seems to be… quite different from my own." Humming, Glace then gave a cheerful smile. "I will take you to the bathing room! Follow me!"

Annoyed with how cheerful Glace always appeared (and reminded of Linda, a girl he knew back at Wammy), Mello followed the young man down the hallway and through a doorway.

The bath was similar to the style of a Japanese bathhouse, or at least what Mello had read about them. The water was steaming lightly and looked fairly clear- it looked nice enough, except for the fact that Near was in it.

"No," Mello said firmly to Glace, glaring at the confused man. "I am _not_bathing with Near!"

"Is it odd in your world to bathe with another?" Glace questioned, glancing toward Near (who had ducked down mostly under the water and behind a rock).

"It's odd in our world to bathe with someone we _dislike_," Mello informed.

"I see…" Glace hummed, glancing toward Near. "Well, this is the only bath- if you want to wait for him to finish, I suppose you can. But it's silly, I think, to refuse a bath just because Near is here."

"If I wanted your opinion," Mello sneered, grabbing the clothes from Glace's hands. "I would give it to you." Glace merely gave another smile and left without a word.

Mello tried his best to ignore Near, but he couldn't help but glare at the albino as he slipped out of his (disgustingly dirty) clothes. Near, wisely, avoided looking toward him. He kept his eyes elsewhere until Mello had slipped into the water (after showering off- similar to a Japanese bath house, as well).

After he was submerged, Mello informed Near, "You can stop hiding, now." After a few moments of silence, Near came out from behind one of the rocks, but he stayed far from Mello. He appeared… almost nervous, though if Mello hadn't known Near's facial expressions well enough he wouldn't have seen it.

"Oh get over it," Mello huffed, annoyed by how put off Near was acting. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." The memory in question was one he treasured- not the fact that he had seen Near naked, mind you, but instead the events that had surrounded it.

It had been one of the few times he and Near had spent time with L, just the three of them, outside of the orphanage. L had brought them to a pool during a particularly hot day in summer. Mello had been 7, Near 5. Near had struggled with taking his shoes off and L had gone to help him, only to end up helping the younger boy undress himself completely, then slip into a bathing suit. Mello had been jealous, at the time, but now he thought that L was just babying Near. He'd spent lots of time hanging out with L, that day- it had been great up until the point where he'd pushed Near in the pool and the albino had hit his head on the side… a trip to the hospital had followed that.

"I was five," Near responded, obviously having the same memory as Mello. "And Matt almost killed me that day."

"_Matt_?" Mello breathed. Matt hadn't gone with them!

"He shoved me into the pool," Near explained. "I think you told him too, though."

"Matt wasn't there," Mello huffed.

"That's right…" Near breathed, curling a lock of his hair around his index finger. "You hate him in your reality. I can't get over that… it's just too weird."

"The idea of him being my friend is weird," Mello hummed. "I mean, he's loyal, trustworthy… all that, but he just gets on my nerves so much. He follows me around like a kicked dog and it drives me nuts."

"At least you have someone," Near stated, catching Mello off guard.

"Is that an admission of loneliness I hear from the great Near?" Mello gaped.

"You sound so surprised," Near hummed, sinking lower into the water, his eyes closing.

"I am." Mello's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Why?"

"You always liked being alone."

Near poked one eye open, staring at Mello through clouded eyes. (Mello realized then that Near's contacts were not in, meaning his vision was currently poor and his eyes sensitive to the light. As an albino, Near was born with very horrible vision and light sensitivity- he wore darkened contacts to fix his vision and to protect his eyes from the light.)

"I've never liked being alone," he informed.

"You always told the other orphans to leave you alone!" Mello snapped.

Letting out a soft hum, Near agreed, "I did, yes. But I also relied on Roger and the rest of the staff to feed me and keep me warm- when I moved away I had to surround myself with people because I couldn't take care of myself. When the Kira case was over the SPK was broken up and I was left on my own… I guess I became lonely after a while."

It sounded weird, coming from Near's mouth. Like he had finally gotten over being a child and grown up- Mello was tempted to ask if he still collected toys or not, but decided against it.

They fell into a somewhat comfortable silence, relaxed and warm. Mello had to force himself not to fall asleep, laying there with his eyes closed- he decided he'd had enough when he heard Near exit the water and approach one of the nearby benches, gathering up the robes that Glace had left him. He watched with a guilty pleasure as Near dressed- only able to see the back side of the younger man but inwardly making note of Near's somewhat cute bum.

Four years ago he would have gagged at the idea of thinking any part of Near was attractive.

Five years ago he also might have realized that Near had noticed him watching, but had chosen not to say anything.

Mello didn't leave the water until well after Near had gone. He took his time, dressing in the clothes Glace had left him (which were warm and soft, even of they were light blue), before heading back to his room.

--

Two days had passed- two long, seemingly endless, pain-filled days. And while Mello was spending his time training with Glace's seemingly endless collection of possessed brick-filled stuffed animals, he assumed Near was doing the same with the mirror king himself. Although, for all he knew, Near was stuck with stuffed demons as well while Glace sat (or _floated_) on his bum.

By the end of those two days, he'd grown used to the toy's patterns and had made pincushions out of them. He hoped Glace wouldn't be commenting on this because it had been the king's choice to use his collection. And while Mello had already known how to fight with a knife, he had to admit (but only to himself) that the practice was quite useful. It had been a long time since he'd fought and he had become rusty in his (not so) old age.

Thankfully, after waking up the next morning and wandering into the dining room (it had become a routine after two days), Mello found himself sitting down next to a worn and tired Near- the albino had a scratch across his left cheek, one that looked like it stung.

"Where'd that come from?" He questioned, flopping into a seat and watching quietly as Glace left the table only to return with some sort of food.

"He forgot to start floating when he cast a powerful spell," the mirror king explained with a smile, ignoring the cold look Near was sending him. "Ended up tripping and smacking his face on the ground. It looked like it hurt!"

"It did," Near mused, taking a small bite and avoiding eye contact.

"As I was just telling Near," Glace hummed, his smile appearing forced. "You two are ready to move on to the next King- meaning I will be passing my powers on to Near and then giving you two the direction to Red's place of hiding."

"You're not going to train him?" Mello questioned, motioning to Near with his spoon. "You're just giving him some new power and sending him off to get himself killed?"

While Glace should have giggled and corrected Mello, or something, instead the king just placed his own spoon down and forced another smile. "He has you with him, he won't get himself killed." He stood then and started toward the door, pausing before exiting. Turning, Glace informed, "Meet me in half an hour, I have a few things to prepare."

He exited without another word.

Mello gave Near a glance, confused not only about Glace's odd actions, but also his words. "Meet him where?" He questioned, before poking an unresponsive Near with his spoon. "What's going on? You're both acting like your cat just died or something."

"I'm tired," Near admitted, staring down at his food like he wanted to use it as a pillow, instead of eat it. "And I'd imagine Glace is unhappy because he has to give up his magic."

"Well it's not like he has to give it up forever," Mello huffed. Near gave a shrug of indifference. "Where are we meeting him?"

"Mello asks that like I read minds."

While Mello hadn't seen much of Near the last two days, the little he was seeing of him now was just as annoying as ever. "He wouldn't have left the place of meeting a mystery," he stated matter-of-factly. "Obviously you know where it is."

"I do," Near informed, pushing his plate away.

"Well, where is it?"

"I'll let Mello know when we get there."

Yes, just as annoying as ever.

After finishing off his food, Mello followed Near through winding hallways and into a large room- not that all of the rooms in this place weren't large, but this one took the icing on the cake. It was incredibly bare, save for a singe stand with what looked like a crystal ball on it, and a sadly smiling Glace, who motioned for them to come closer.

"This," he spoke, obviously addressing only Mello, as Near paid the crystal ball no mind. "Is one of the ten dimension mirrors."

"Dimension mirrors?" Mello questioned, instantly wondering if this odd item could return him back home- oh how he would love to forget this entire thing and return to the job of being L.

"No," Glace read his mind, dragging his attention back to the here and now. "It cannot return you home." He ignored the glare Mello sent his way. "Although they are called dimension mirrors, they really have nothing to do with the different dimensions. Well, except that we use them to communicate with the other mirror kings of the other realities- but that is beside the point. These mirrors are used to find out who the next mirror kings will be and also to pass on the name of mirror king. Although I'm going to be using this one to pass on my abilities to Near, you may want to pay attention, because the next king will be giving you his abilities."

Mello could have sworn he saw Near giving the item a cold glare, but before he could double check and see if it was just his imagination, Glace reached out and pulled the albino closer.

"Stand back," he ordered Mello, nodding to a wall. As the blonde moved to stand by it, Glace informed, "As far back as possible. As in, shove yourself against the wall."

"Is it really that dangerous?" Mello questioned, eyeing the ball and pushing his body up against the icy wall.

Glace forced a smile. "Nope. I just think you look funny, pressed against the wall like that."

Sparing him an annoyed glance, Mello returned to a normal standing position.

Moving to stand over the ball, the mirror king motioned for Near to approach him. He positioned the albino across from him, the stand and the crystal ball between their two bodies. Mello watched in boredom as Glace ordered Near into a kneeling position, leaving contact covered eyes level with the mirror. The king followed suit, lifting his hands and letting them hover at each side of the ball, a foot or so away from it.

"This is going to hurt," he told Near, who gave him the sort of look that said, _You're telling me this now of all times_? Glace forced a smile, saying, "My master did the same thing to me-" Or at least this is what Mello assumed he was going to say, because in the middle of saying 'same' his hands began to glow and the crystal ball followed suit.

Near let out a pain-filled cry (one that made even Mello cringe) as the glowing ball shot off what looked like a beam of light, hitting him right between the eyes.

It was over quickly. Near fell backward, hands raising to his face. Glace flopped over, apparently unconscious. Mello just stood there, half of him wondering if Near was passed out, the other half trying to come up with any excuse to get out of having to do the same thing when his turn came.

After a few moments had passed, Near dragged himself into a seated position, one hand still placed half across his eyes.

"That looked painful," Mello hummed sarcastically, remembering the feeling of explosives scarring half of his face and most of his back. Not a pleasant memory, and definitely one he would never forget, despite the lack of his scar in this new world. Nothing could hurt more then that, not even death.

Near offered no response, seemingly dazed. For a few moments he just sat there, staring numbly at nothing in particular- then he removed his hand from his forehead and moved over to Glace, shaking the young man's shoulder.

Glace lifted his head tiredly, dropping it back down a few seconds later. Mello decided now would be a good time to pull himself away from the wall and he approached, helping Near pull Glace into a seated position.

"H-Hurts a lot, huh?" He questioned Near weakly, forcing a smile. "Sorry about that- I figured if I surprised you, you wouldn't be tense and waiting for it. Would have made it worse, I'm sure."

Near gave an indifferent shrug, one that Mello read as, _I've had worse_. He sent Near an annoyed glare and sneered, "You screamed like you were being tortured."

"It was painful," Near admitted in monotone. "More so then when I broke my arm."

"You broke your arm?" Mello questioned, not remembering a broken bone at any point.

"Mello does not remember?" Near asked, sounding a bit surprised. His voice was strained, Mello realized. Was it really _that _painful? With a shake of his head to show he didn't, Near went on with, "It was one of the days that Roger took all of the kids into town. Matt shoved me out of the way at one point and I fell to the ground. I landed on my arm and the bone snapped."

"You're not very graceful," Glace breathed. Mello gave a small snort of amusement. "Does he hurt himself like that often?" He asked Mello. (It was quite obvious from his voice that he was ready to pass out.)

"How would I know?" Mello huffed in response. "He's dead in my world." He spared Near a glance, remembering back in Wammy- Near had been a sickly child with a horrible immune system. In and out of hospitals and doctor's offices like family visits. But Near usually stayed on the ground, so a lack of grace wasn't usually the cause.

"Glace needs to rest," Near stated before any more comments about his lack of poise could be made. "He looks ready to pass out."

"You'll need to rest too," Glace informed, not arguing with Near's observation. "I, however, will probably sleep for a week or so-" He gigged at the stare Mello gave him. "I'm kidding! But I will be out for a while, so I will give you Red's location now. That way you two can leave when Near is good and ready… he shouldn't need to rest for long."

Not sparing a glance to one another, Mello and Near both helped Glace to his feet.

"Oh come on, I can float-" Glace laughed, moving to do just that. "Alright, as to Red's location-" He paused, either to make sure they were both listening, or just for the effect. "Is a town thankfully only a few days walk from here, called Galeshade. He's hiding out in the pet store, there. You'll be looking for a boy named Todd- Red is a nickname of his, but you'll understand why when you see him."

"Galeshade?" Mello mused.

Glace's response was a yawn. He stretched out and moved into a laying position, apparently falling asleep right there.

Near spared Mello a raised eyebrow before he gave an annoyed sigh and rubbed the spot between his eyes, where the beam of light had hit him.

"Do you feel any different?" Mello asked, curiosity getting the better of him- he wanted to know how he would be feeling when his term came.

"No," Near admitted. "My head hurts and I am tired, but other then that I feel the same."

Rolling his eyes, Mello gave a some-what barked order of, "Well go get your damn rest so we can leave. If we have to get through ten of these damn things, I want to get on the road as soon as possible."

Near gave him one of those annoying ass smiles, the ones that always pissed him off. That sort of half-amused, half know it all smirk that what kind of like L's, but ten times creepier.

"Mello is going to have fun," he said in an almost teasing voice.

Then he was leaving, walking out of the room like nothing had happened. Doing that stupid Near thing- saying something that would leave him speechless and then just _walking away_. It was things like this, the little smiles and the damn words and the- ugh, just_everything _that made every little thing about Near so_annoying_.

…He hadn't even explained what those words were supposed to mean!

Stupid fucking Near!

And then, as if to make matters worse, Mello realized that he had absolutely no idea how to get back to his room.

Great. Just fucking _great_.


	5. Hush, Hush

**Dream of Mirror**

**Chapter 5 - "Hush, hush."  
**

**Ice-Puppet **

**Authors note**: Blaaah .. too many days between updates, I know! I'm also putting this up without anything written in the next chapter! I'm falling behind. Bad me!

**Authors note two: **YES, Near explains his mood shift this chapter!

Glace was still fast asleep in the mirror room by the time Near was rested enough to leave. Despite attempts to wake him and say their farewells, the two had ended up leaving without any good-byes. It felt a bit awkward, Near had to admit, just leaving the young man asleep in the middle of a room, but there wasn't much he could do. He knew that whatever Glace had done had worn him out, so he could only imagine how the other felt.

While he had given them a city, he hadn't pointed them in a direction. Thankfully, though, a sign outside of the front door did just that- an arrow pointing toward Galeshade, one that neither of them could remember being there before.

It wasn't until they had begun walking that Near noticed the first thing about his new 'ability'.

"I'm not cold," he said suddenly, catching Mello off guard (the blonde jumped only slightly, but Near might not have noticed if he hadn't been paying attention.)

"Good for you," Mello offered in response. A huff either from jealousy or annoyance, Near couldn't tell. The blonde was quite obviously freezing, just as they had been on the walk toward Glace's place, but that was a few days back, so it was kind of hard to remember the temperature at that specific time.

"It's strange," Near informed, following behind as Mello started off down the trail again. "I'm not warm, but… I'm comfortable."

"Will you shut up?" Mello asked. Near didn't answer.

Walking had never been one of his favorite things to do. Not to say he had favorite things to do, besides puzzles and toys- but walking was definitely on the bottom of the list. Most of his life had been spent on the floor. The few times he had walked it wasn't for very long, save for those damn trips into the city that Roger had organized back in the orphanage.

Needless to say, the few days they had spent at Glace's had been a nice rest after all that walking, but getting back into step was becoming old and fast.

Mello was perhaps more used to walking but Near was fairly sure he didn't like doing it much either. Then again, there were few people who actually enjoyed doing it, or at least that Near knew of… the world was full of lazy people and those that actually did jog or walk were often regarded as the 'smart' and the 'beautiful', yet everyone else was content to look up to them but not make any move to copy.

At least he had company. Although Near wasn't the kind of person who liked to be around people, he hated to be alone. That probably made no sense, but to him, it was the truth- he didn't want anyone around, but he wanted to know someone was close enough that if something went wrong he would be safe. (Not to mention he wasn't exactly equip to go and get his own meals or drinks.)

Mello probably didn't know, but one of his biggest fears was being alone.

After a day or so had passed they had made it out of the icy area. The warmth had come back- or at least Near had assumed as much, because Mello was no longer shivering. To him, the temperature felt the same.

They'd moved from mountains to forest, not really a good switch but at least there wasn't snow all over the place.

Near was inwardly reminded of Wammy's- there had been a forest outside of the orphanage, one that Matt and Mello used to sneak into often. He never knew what the two of them did out there, then again back then he hadn't really cared. Now, though, he wondered, if only because this Mello wouldn't know it. His claims of an annoyance instead of friendship between himself and Matt had at first seemed so off, but he didn't know why the blonde would make something like that up.

He had never gone out into the forest, himself. Hadn't left Wammy much aside from trips with L and the ones Roger set up. But he used to watch Mello and Matt sneak out from his bedroom window, watching them run through the trees like they'd been given some freedom no one else could share… Matt and Mello had always been so close. It was hard to think that Mello disliked the redhead, even if it was a different Mello.

It was only after Mello stopped walking that Near was brought back to reality. He must have been thinking for a while because the sun was starting to go down- that wasn't the reason why they had stopped, however. The two of them had happened upon a rapid river, not a large one but there was no way they could make it across by swimming.

"There's a bridge," Mello informed, pointing. Near followed his line of vision toward the small rope bridge- the kind that is in movies, the ones with the wooden planks that are old and rotten, the ropes along the sides that are snapping… Near spared Mello a look only to see the same sort of annoyed fear he felt reflected in aqua green eyes.

"Ladies first," Mello mused.

"Didn't Mello know it's more polite to offer the other person the ability to go first?" Near responded, pulling the comment back around and pushing it at the blonde.

"Har, har," was the huffed response. "Just go first. And do that fucked up floating thing- that way you won't snap the bridge and fall to your death like an idiot."

"If I 'float'," Near reasoned, trying to keep concern out of his voice. "Then when Mello crosses the bridge it will snap and he will fall to his death." After a pause he added, for mood measure, "And look like an idiot." He ignored the glare Mello sent his way, reasoning, "I weigh less then Mello anyway, so it is more likely it would snap when Mello cro-"

Before he could finish, Mello threw a hand over his mouth. Although Near wasn't quite fond of being quieted forcefully, he supposed it was a better way if shutting him up then Mello had used back at Wammy- a punch to the face instead of a simple hand over his lips.

"Just shut up and get to it, floaty boy," the blonde snapped.

Near mumbled something into his hand before realizing and removing the fingers from his face. He repeated himself, this time audible. "It isn't fair if I float and Mello can't."

"Does it sound like I care?" The blonde was becoming increasingly annoyed. He explained himself, although to Near it sounded half-assed and made up on the spot. "Look, if you float over, there's less chance that you'll make the already flimsy wood even weaker. If you walk over and make the wood crappy as fuck, then it's going to snap when I walk over it. So just float to the other side or I'll push you into the river."

"That can easily be solved," Near continued to argue. He told himself it was more because he didn't want to bend to Mello's will, not because he actually wanted to be fair. (And most definitely not because he was _concerned_ or _afraid_.) "I can step on every other board and you can step on the ones I don't step on-"

"_Shut up_," Mello hissed. "Quit fighting me on this you little creampuff and just _cross the damn bridge_!"

Resisting the urge to question Mello's area of name-calling, Near finally gave up (if only because they could stand here all day arguing over something as trivial as if he was going to _float _or _walk_across a bridge) and pulled his feet off of the ground. Thankfully the bridge was unaffected by his weight as he moved across it, stopping only upon reaching the other side (and not once daring to look down).

Mello was not so lucky. As soon as he took a step onto the wood the entire bridge gave an angry creek, shifting with his weight. The blonde continued moving at an extremely slow pace, keeping a neutral look on his face although Near imagined every time a noise came from his steps Mello's fear began to rise.

It was when he reached about the half way point that it happened. In the irony of things, it had to be at the center- why couldn't it have happened at the beginning or closer to the end? No, no- it had to be that middle board that finally gave way under Mello's impossibly thin body (maybe it was his heavy boots and coat that finally did him in, after all the blonde was thin for his height and couldn't have weighed much more then Near himself). It was like it was mocking him, laughing in his face… or maybe shock was forcing him to believe that an inanimate object was poking fun at him.

Either way, it was almost anti-climatic. Mello didn't fall in slow motion, screaming his name, reaching up toward him. There most certainly wasn't a large splash when he hit the water before he came back up to the surface and clung on to a branch that snapped just as Near got within reach to drag him back in. He wasn't swept away crying out some hreat-breaking confession as he was pulled to his death.

No. None of that happened. It was more like- Mello fell maybe five feet, hit the water, and Near didn't see him again.

The end.

From there, Near wasn't entirely sure what to do. There were mixed feelings involving what his next actions should be. There was a part of him that wanted to jump into the fast-moving water as well, no doubt leading to quite a bit of pain and perhaps his death (which was apparently impossible, but he didn't want to test it). Another part wanted to stupidly scream at the bridge before crying out for Mello, asking him to defy the laws of reality and come back, completely unharmed. A third part told him to turn around and walk the rest of the way to meet the next mirror king, inform him of what had happened, and go from there-

Near, however, decided to settle with the forth part's idea.

Thus he found himself dropping to his knees, shock quickly turning into horror, then anger, then finally sadness. And while it was probably completely out of character for him to do, he found himself falling forward, slamming a fist into the ground, and letting out a frustrated and horrified cry.

And, of course, just to add to the cliché- the rain began to poor, as if it, along with the bridge, was laughing.

Goddamn irony.

The world was against him.

And it wasn't even his world!

--

Near couldn't remember the rest of the walk to Galeshade, although he was pretty sure it took another few days. It wasn't that his memory was off, or even that he'd magically been zapped to that city in an instant- it was more like he didn't want to remember. He had somehow managed to drag himself the rest of the way to the city without dying or starving (especially because Mello had been the one carrying all the food), but had blurred it out of his mind.

Did he miss Mello?

He blurred out the answer to that too.

Finding Red was easy enough. Glace had informed him (_them_, at the time, but _them _had been changed to _him_) that Red was at the local pet store. After weaving his way through the strange, confusing city (and ignoring the few people on the streets, all staring at him), Near found himself face to face with a boy named Todd, behind the counter of a store full of strange looking creatures.

They called him "Red" for a reason. If it wasn't his rather loud fashion sense it was his flaming hair. Or maybe it was the temper that was obvious the second Near stepped into the store.

"Where the hell is the other guy? You're not supposed to fucking be apart you know, you could get targeted or killed or some other shit. You better have a _damn _good reason for not being with him, otherwise I'll have to kick both of your pansy little asses."

Wondering why this boy was given the power of 'speed' and not 'fire', Near flopped down on the counter, sparing Red a pathetic and forced glare before he explained in a small voice, "He fell into a river."

"A river." Red repeated, none too amused.

"A river," Near repeated, in no mood to make references to his last name, although he probably wouldn't have even if his mood had been better.

"Why did he fall into a river?" Red asked, sitting down on the counter next to Near.

"Do people usually fall into rivers on purpose around here?" Near asked. Well, okay- more like snapped.

"You didn't go after him?"

Wondering if this Mirror King had the IQ of a rock, Near stood up. "Yes, sure, because jumping into a fast moving river that swept away my partner and most likely killed him would be the smart thing to do, right?"

"You can't die here," Red reminded.

"Tell that to the river!" Near snapped.

Red gave a frustrated glare before he rolled his eyes and jumped off of the counter. "Okay, look- you're probably really tired right now and I'm guessing you're upset, not that I can imagine why…" resisting the urge to kick Red in the shin or give him frost bite, Near settled for rolling his eyes. "Let's get you a nap and some food, then we'll see about finding your buddy."

Not used to hearing Mello referred to as a 'buddy', Near attempted to push away all of the irritation he was feeling at that moment as he asked, "How do you plan to do that?"

"Match keepers are quite the in thing this season," Red informed, before he shooed Near into the back where a bed was set up for god knows what reason. "Get a nice long nap in," the Mirror King ordered as he moved over to the door. "When you wake up we better get moving A.S.A.P. Who knows what a freak like you from some other dimension could do out in the wild, alone."

As Red closed the door, Near pondered to himself what kind of a life Red had- his attitude was worse then Mello's, and that was saying something.

Then he wondered if they were actually speaking English, or if it was just being translated to his ears. If Red had just used the term 'A.S.A.P', it had to be they were speaking English, right? Or maybe it didn't work that way- maybe it was just translated to his ears that way.

Who knew? Things were getting weirder and weirder, in this place.

At least Mello wasn't dead.

With that thought, Near closed his eyes, hoping to get some rest.

Then his imagination decided to play 'what if', leaving him with thoughts like… 'At least Mello isn't dead, but what if he's in a dungeon somewhere, or he was picked up by thieves, or he was being mauled to death by creatures only to come back to life and have it happen all over again…?'

Well, there went his nap.

--

'Match keepers' was quite an odd thing to call something, Near supposed. To 'match' something was to put it together, then leave it be. It had nothing to do with 'keeping'. Matches usually had it up to themselves to keep together, although there weren't many that managed such a thing… no, no, what this person was should have been called something like 'Match finder.' It would have made much more sense- but who was he to question the names of things that he wasn't even sure was in English?

A 'Match keeper', as he found, was a person who could see what was called a 'soul thread'. A 'soul thread' was a line extending from one person to their soul mate, only visible by above mentioned 'Match keeper'. Very few were born with this ability and once it was known they had it their entire life was set before them. Kind of like being born a god among men, Near supposed, although he was pretty sure the blue haired girl who worked at the local weaponry shop didn't feel much like a god.

"Amador, this is the white one," Red explained, motioning from one person to the other. "White one, this is Amador. He is the local match keeper."

In the middle of telling Red to call him 'Near', the albino paused and gave the Match keeper a once over. "He?" It was probably a rude question, but excuse him for questioning the gender of the person wearing a rather short mini-skirt.

Amador giggled in a way that wasn't overly annoying but seemed somewhat forced. "I'm used to it," he explained. Even his voice was feminine. "I'd kind of have to be, looking this girly and wearing skirts. It's not like I'm going to go around dressed like this and expect people to realize I'm actually a boy upon first glance."

Well, at least he had common sense.

"Red tells me your companion fell into a river?" Amador questioned, looking above Near's head thoughtfully. He spoke of the Mirror king as if they were close friends and Near had to wonder if this boy knew of the other man's status and abilities. Then again, he was standing before the 'white one' and seemed humble enough, but who was Near to judge someone he had just met? Amador's eyes were moving from him, off to the North. He hummed to himself, as if finding something odd.

"What?" Red asked.

"Their soul thread is torn," Amador informed, obviously unsure as to how to explain it. How could you explain something no one else could see? "I've never seen a torn thread before… It's really strange. Hard to explain. It has… holes in it? Like clothing with burns."

"Is that a bad thing?" Near asked, curious.

"I can't say," Amador mused. "As I said, I've never seen something like that before."

"Is he close, at least?" Red asked.

"Well, his thread isn't going straight down, so I can assume his partner isn't on the other side of the planet," Amador mused, obviously joking. No one laughed. With a shrug, the blue haired boy pointed toward the north. "It heads off that way, which worries me, some. The only thing over there is forest and the thief village."

"Well, if we're lucky, he'll just be lost in the forest," Red hummed. He then clasped his hands together. "Well, we'd best be off, then. We'll need to track him down before the thieves do."

"I can't leave!" Amador protested. "I'm still working!"

"I'll pay you back," Red huffed. "And you hate that job anyway- let's go."

Feeling like he was thrown in the middle of something that he had no clue about, Near followed the two as they bickered.

Then again, he felt that way about pretty much everything in this strange place, so it wasn't like it was anything new.

Red and Amador grew silent after they'd left the town. Both of them were uneasy and alert- so much in fact that they both jumped when Near dared to speak.

"Why are you both so nervous?" He questioned.

"Don't do that!" Red snapped, taking a deep breath to calm the sudden fright out of him. "This town is surrounded by thieves. There are no guards here, so they come here often. I don't know about whatever fairytale land you come from, but here, thieves are ruthless and they'll kill you in a heartbeat for anything of value."

"Ever since Holand started this whole thing," Amador mused, following the thread only he could see. "All of the guards have been sent to try and stop her- but, as you can imagine, most of the people here have lost their magic, so stopping her isn't exactly a walk in the park. We've lost more lives then anything else… but still, people keep trying. I don't know why."

"Not many people believe in this 'prophesy'," Red huffed. "There are those who believe and then the skeptics- the ones who say we shouldn't put our lives in the hands of two random people we don't even know. They say it's suicide and that if we're going to do something that stupid we should just surrender to Holand."

"They're probably right," Near informed.

"You don't sound very confident, considering you're supposed to be the one saving us," Amador frowned.

"A few days ago I wouldn't have," Near explained, wondering why he was giving away such information to a random person. Losing someone close (or at least what he thought was losing someone close) could really jolt someone out of their normal routine. "Well, a few days ago in my world- a few days before coming here, I mean."

Amador gave him a inquisitive look. "What changed your mind?" He asked.

Near didn't answer.

Amador smiled, before turning back to look at the thread. "I get it," he laughed. "None of my business."

They fell into silence, much the way Near and Mello had come accustom to while walking. Red continued to look around nervously, as if a thief would threaten him in some way… considering he was a mirror king, Near doubted a petty thief would be able to take him down. Although with himself and Amador there, he would have liabilities… Near of course could fight (what an odd thought… he couldn't remember having one like it, at least not before this whole mirror world thing), but he doubted Amador could do much.

What was that saying? Don't judge a book by it's cover?

They slowed down after some time, stopping outside of a rather high wall. A town, it appeared- a town surrounded by a barrier.

"Thief town," Amador explained. He then gave Red a strained look. "He's inside."

"The shit?" Red offered, rather numbly.

"Do you think they will let us inside to look?" Amador questioned.

"Doubt it," the king sighed, looking stressed.

They both paused, as if realizing something that they hadn't known before. Then, in unison, they threw equally as thoughtful looks back toward Near.

"Maybe they'll let him in, since he's the white one?" Amador was the one to voice the thought.

"Maybe," Red hummed. He grabbed hold of Near's arm and dragged him along the wall none-too-gently, stopping only when they found the entrance.

"What have you got there?" A new voice spoke up from on top of the wall. Red stepped back, dragging Near with him, as the guard (or at least that's what Near assumed he was) jumped down, landing gracefully in a crouched position. As he stood up to full height (which was well above six foot, which made poor five-foot-one Near feel like David looking up at the giant), two very obvious cat-like ears perked up, probably catching every sound within a mile radius… including Amador's heart beat speeding up and Red swallowing nervously… both of which Near could hear perfectly.

"What a pretty little thing," he purred, moving past Red and right up to Near. The albino held his ground, however, despite how tempting it was to take a step back from the insanely tall man. He circled, like a predator inspecting it's pray.

"Hands off, Luda," Red hissed, naming the tall man and catching his attention. "Don't you know who that is?"

"A sylph who prefers walking?" 'Luda', as he had been called, answered.

"He's the white one," the King huffed.

"You two know each other?" Amador voiced the question that was at the back of Near's mind (though he had no real intention of saying it).

"This is-" Red started, but was cut off.

"Quarrel's brother," Luda completed, with equally the amount of distain in his voice.

Near gave him a once over before he pointed out, "Quarrel isn't a Shura."

A laugh came from the man, the cat-like ears on his head twitching, as if to make a point.

"Half Shura, half Sylph," he purred, leaning over and placing his face mere inches from Near's own. "A dangerous combination, if I do say so myself." He stood back up to his full height, once more. "The white one, you say?" This question was directed at Red, who gave a quick nod. "You point that out to me like I would actually_care_, mirror king."

"You should!" Red snapped, fists clenched. A battle of wills. "If he doesn't finish this war we could all disappear! Even you!"

Another laugh from Luda. "Maybe I want that."

Red's eyes narrowed and for a moment he was silent. Then, as if figuring out some weakness Luda had, he grinned wildly. Luda's face scrunched up in a glare… it was obvious to Near that he had every idea what Red was about to say, yet he didn't attempt to stop him.

"Quarrel would disappear, too," Red informed, speaking what should have been depressing words with a large grin.

"Shut up and get inside," Luda groaned, turning to unlock the gates.

Near watched as Amador attempted to hide his smile.

"What is it you want?" Luda asked, once they were inside and the gates had been closed again.

"There is something here that belongs to him," Red informed, nodding toward Near.

Luda let out a deep laugh, smirking as Red's face flushed in anger. "Red, dear, there are things here that belong to a whole mess of people. What makes you think we'll be giving one specific thing back, simply because he's supposed to save our world?"

"It's not really a thing," Amador cut in, whatever bravery he had managed to muster up to say these words melting as Luda turned his wild eyes toward him. "U-um… it's a p-person," the match keeper finished, obviously struggling to resist the urge to disappear behind Red.

"A person, you say?" Luda hummed, his tail moving back and forth slowly. "Come to think of it, a lot brought back an unconscious man just the other day." He shrugged, before informing them, "No idea where they took him, though."

"We don't need to know," Red huffed, before turning to Amador. The blue haired boy stared at him for a few moments before realizing that he was supposed to start moving. His cheeks turning red, the match keeper looked toward Near's head before heading off in one direction.

They walked a few blocks before stopping at what appeared to be a pub with an inn above it. Amador gave it a quick sizing up before he informed Red and Near, "He's in there."

"Alright, here is the plan-" Red began, but Near didn't wait to hear the rest.

A room full of eyes followed him as he stepped through the doorway, most of them barely visible in the candle lighting. Bored eyes all looked away, while nervous ones followed him even as he crossed the room and moved over to the bar. However it was only curious eyes that bothered to continue watching as a rushed name fell from his lips and a surprised blonde turned just in time to have arms thrown around him.

"…Near?" Mello almost squeaked, obvious surprised by this completely out of character reaction.

"I thought you were gone," Near informed, knowing that this was probably no explanation for his strange behavior, but not caring for the moment. He glanced up, finally, to see Mello looking around the room with a paranoid shift of his eyes.

"Come on," he breathed, throwing some coins at the bartender, downing the rest of his drink, and grabbing Near's wrist. "We can talk in my room." Near threw a quick look to the doorway, where Red and Amador had peaked their heads in, before he was pulled upstairs.

Mello pushed him down onto the bed and firmly stated, in annoyance, "Okay, spill it."

"Spill what?" Near questioned, wondering what exactly Mello wanted to know. How did he find him, did he meet the mirror king, was he okay…?

But it was none of those. "Why the _fuck _are you acting this out of character?" The emphasis on the curse word informed Near that Mello meant business. The blonde did not curse often and when he did it was only in frustration. There would be no avoiding this, he would have to spill… unless he could distract him.

"I was worried about Mello," Near informed, as if it was obvious.

"You aren't the kind of person who runs in and _hugs _someone," Mello stated, taking a seat next to him. "Hell, I'd be shocked if you'd ever hugged _anyone _in your entire _life_."

Although Near knew Mello was exaggerating, the words stung.

"I know what a hug is," he informed. Then, to prove a point, he turned and wrapped his arms around the blonde, once more- this time around his shoulders, instead of his waist.

"Ugh, quit that!" Mello barked, attempting to push him off only to find that Near wouldn't budge. "Quit being weird, Near! You're pissing me off! What, did some monster possess you or something? You're so annoying!"

"Is it that hard to believe that I was concerned about Mello?" Near asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Mello didn't answer… however he removed his hands from Near's chest and slowly wrapped them around his middle, pulling him a bit closer.

Now who was acting out of character?

"Che," Mello huffed. "It was me who should be worried about you. I can't even leave you out in the sun long enough or you'll get sick."

"I found the mirror king," Near informed. "He… brought a match keeper and we followed the line that connects you and I here."

Mello was silent. Near was pretty sure why- the blonde wanted to deny that they were 'soul mates', but found it hard to do under these circumstances.

Their arms were still around each other.

Mello probably had questions to ask and Near probably did as well- how long did it take you to get here? How did you survive? What power does this Mirror King have? What happened to your old clothes? They both had a million things to ask, but all of those were whisked away when they moved away from each other just far enough so that they could see each other's faces.

Maybe it was the lighting in the room, or the few inches between them… maybe it was the stress of worrying if the other was going to make it or if they would see each other again… maybe it was the sexual tension that one feels when stuck with one single person for a large amount of time… or maybe it had a little something to do with that little line that only Amador could see…

Whatever it was, Mello would like to clearly point out that it was Near that moved in first, while Near would like to inform Mello that it was a mutual act and they both moved at the same time- Mello, of course, would deny this, while inwardly agreeing although he would never admit it.

Whoever moved first, when their lips met that little spark that had flown through them back at the first town quickly filled both of their bodies, moving up and down, to their finger tips, back up to their lips, then down to their toes… but Mello and Near? They were two busy battling to dominate the above-mentioned kiss to bother to notice that little spark.

--

Having sex with Near was _not _something Mello had planned on.

He didn't like Near. He had never liked Near. Near got on his nerves, Near was perfect, Near was number one- Near was _better _then him and he _hated _it… he didn't _hate _Near, per say, but he most definitely didn't _like _him. Meaning he would_never _in a _million years _want to _sleep with him_!

So why the _hell _was he waking up naked in bed with a warm body next to- wait, Near wasn't there!

Oh.

The albino was perched at the window, clothed in only the bottom robe of his clothes, watching either the sunrise or something in town. Either way, light spilled over his pale skin, hair, and clothes giving him an almost heavenly glow… or something equally as cliché.

Mello dared to clear his throat, catching Near's attention.

Near still looked tired, worn. Just like he had before Mello had fallen into the river… just like how the blonde remembered L. Tired, but never able to get enough sleep. Was it from just that…? Being L? It couldn't be… sure, Mello stayed up late when working on cases, but he slept a lot when he wasn't on them and he did just fine. L had been an insomniac, but as far as Mello knew, Near wasn't one.

Unless it was a recent occurrence.

Near stood from the window and moved over to the bed, picking up his clothes as he went. His movements were stiff… pained. Mello had to force himself not to curse at his own stupidity.

Of course Near had been a god damn virgin. As if the albino had _ever_had a chance to get laid.

Fucking_great_.

(Those were becoming his two new favorite words.)

"You were a virgin, weren't you?" He hadn't meant for the words to sound cruel, they were most certainly not something you should say in that tone, but the frustration he felt toward himself (how could you be so _weak_, Mello- it's fucking _Near _for god's sake) had caused him to lash out. He noticed Near cringe slightly as he spoke, but other then that the albino didn't show a reaction.

No answer, which to Mello meant, _Mello is not stupid, he already knows the answer to that_. Still, he gave a frustrated noise and threw the blankets off of himself, grabbing his clothes (new ones, his damn coat, vest, and pants had been ruined by his trip down the river) and moving to pull them on. Near ignored him for the most part, sitting down on the other side of the bed and curling a lock of hair around his finger.

Once he was dressed, the blonde quickly stood up and rounded the bed. He grabbed hold of Near's shoulders and pulled him into a standing position, locking their eyes as he stated, in the most controlled voice he could manage, "What changed you?"

"What?" Near questioned, almost dumbly.

"You avoided the question last night," Mello hissed, trying to push the damn memories out of his mind (he could still hear Near _moaning_and god was it driving him _nuts_). "You've avoided it since we got here- but _Damnit_, Near… something changed you, something more then just _time_. You _hugged _me for Christ's sake. What. Changed. You."

There was no getting out of the question. He had Near trapped. They were not moving until he was satisfied with a goddamn answer.

"I was dying."

…Not the answer he was looking for.

Mello must have looked stupid with some sort of dumbstruck look on his face, because Near continued. "I was dying, before we came here."

"…Dying?" Mello almost _squeaked_.

(When had this situation turned around, anyway?)

His hands dropped from Near's shoulders. The albino didn't bolt.

"Dying," he repeated, confirming it.

"…Wha?" Not a very intelligent answer, Mello. He shook his head, trying to clear it. "How- wait- huh?" Okay… redo. Clear your goddamn brain and say something that makes _sense_. "How were you_dying_?"

Near averted his eyes for a few moments before returning them to Mello's. "…I had a brain tumor. I had been ill for the past few months… I went to the doctor for testing. I… just found out, before we came here. The last thing I remember was walking out of the hospital after the doctor told me and a car flying at me. Then I woke up here."

Mello tried to take all of this in… tried to calm down and be rational. He tried to let the words sink into his brain, but for some reason they just _wouldn't_. So Near was dying? People die. Near was already dead in his world… what did it matter? Everyone would die, someday… Matt would probably drive drunk and hit a lamppost, he would probably die thanks to some bastard like Kira, managing to pin him in a long and drawn out battle… Near would die of a brain tumor.

…A fucking _brain tumor_.

Goddamn_fitting_, ain't it?

"Wha…" was all Mello managed to breathe out for a few moments. Near just stood there, calmly watching him, tried eyes half lidded and shoulders slumped. Hell warmed over on toast with jam… that's what he looked like. Sick. …Near was sick.

…Did that mean that- that the brain tumor had come with him?

…_Brain tumor_.

"You were _dying_," Mello finally stated after a long, drawn out silence. The information finally made it's way to his brain, after traveling through his ears (probably did a dance all around his body, too).

"I think we've established that," Near deadpanned.

Mello had to force himself not to slap him.

"…How did that _change you_?" It was probably not a question he wanted answered, but Mello had to know. Yeah, learning you were about to die was kind of a life changing deal… but he wanted it explained. If he found out he was going to die in a month or so, he most certainly wouldn't go propose to Matt and offer to marry him in Disney World with the entire cast of Broadway's _Hairspray _as their wedding party.

Near wore this sort of 'are-you-serious' look for a few moments before he sighed in defeat and attempted to explain. "I realized, after he told me that… I've lived twenty-two years and I haven't… done the things that normal people should do. I haven't fallen in love, I haven't gone on a date… hell, I've never even made a friend. And it isn't like I believe in second chances, heaven or hell, but… when I came here and I saw Mello again, I guess I was kind of thankful that not only was _I _alive, but so was _Mello_… I'm not making much sense."

"No, you're not," Mello groaned, stepping away and running his fingers through his hair. "But I guess I can understand. Well… okay, no, I can't. I'm not dying of some brain tumor or anything, so I can't say I know what you're going on about. But…" he glanced at Near, wondering if he should go on. Was he really about to spill his deepest, darkest secrets to some guy he didn't even like…?

Well, it was only fair… since Near had just done it.

"I mean, I understand the whole not having a friend or being in love thing. Not to say I'm a god damn _virgin _but it's not like I've dated. Hookers don't count… neither does Matt." Near's surprised look almost made him smirk. "I don't believe in second chances, either… and it's not like I'm happy to be here or anything. I can't wait to go home. But I guess it's cool that you got your second chance or some shit. Fuck, I'm no good at being sentimental, okay? Just… don't _hug _me again."

Near was trying to hide a smile and Mello could tell. "Okay," he agreed. Mello wondered if he meant it.

Now came the hard part. Mello cleared his throat, looking Near up and down… he wasn't going to take this badly, right? He didn't want any damn drama… "Near," he breathed, wondering why he sounded like he was about to tell a little kid that their mommy wasn't coming home. "What happened last night… it was-"

"Just sex, no romantic attachments, and not going to happen again," Near cut him off with a quick nod. "Got it."

Mello stared at him blankly.

"Red wants us," Near informed, grabbing that weird necklace he had gotten in that town off of the night stand and turning to leave.

He didn't even close the door behind him.


	6. White Light

**Dream of Mirror**

**Chapter 6 - White light  
**

**Ice-Puppet**

**Authors notes**: I'm SO SORRY about how long this chapter took... I've had writers block, plus school and stress and blah blah blah, insert excuses here.  
But HERE IT IS. Enjoy!

Red hadn't questioned Mello and Near disappearing during the night. In fact, he didn't say much of anything, once the four of them were all back together… Amador was quiet, as well. Mello and Near also said nothing, so they spent the entire walk back to Galeshade in silence. Near was pretty sure Red would go insane by the time they got back, but to his great surprise the mirror king seemed at peace with the silence.

Which wasn't something he could say for himself.

When they reached the city again, red walked them toward a large temple. He walked them toward the back wall, where Near couldn't see any sort of door or anything to suggest it was more then just that- a wall.

Looks could be deceiving, of course.

Red pushed on a brick and with it the wall pulled inward, revealing a hidden door way. (Mello muttered something about originality under his breath, but was ignored.) The mirror king motioned for them to follow him as he walked in, letting the three of them pass (Near had no idea why Amador was still with them) before he closed the door.

He then lead them down a long, thin hallway (small enough that they had to walk single file), then into a large room. It was similar to the room where Glace had handed over his powers, including the crystal ball (or, rather, the _mirror_) in the center of it.

"My power is speed," Red explained to Mello, grabbing hold of his arm and dragging him over to the mirror. He ignored the blonde's protests. "It's not a strong magic power, but it will make melee fighting easier. It will be hard to get used to, at first. It might take some time-" He was rushing his words, shoving Mello down in front of the ball.

"What's with the hurry?" Mello asked, not amused, as Red sat down on the other side of the ball.

Red shot him a cold glare. "Do you know how much _time _was wasted tracking _you _down?"

Before the blonde could answer, however, a beam shot out of the mirror and hit him between his eyes. Mello cursed out in surprise (and pain), stumbling backward and lifting a hand to his forehead. Red flopped over, just as exhausted as Glace had been.

"You-" Mello groaned, sitting up. "Warn me next time!"

"Oh shut up," Red muttered as Amador helped him stand. He wobbled on his feet, trying to stay up right. "Alright, the next mirror king is named Kenny. She lives out in the forest- out by thief town. Do you remember where that is?" Near gave a quick nod, trying not to smile in amusement as Mello struggled to stand, weakly.

"She lives in the forest?" Mello inquired. Before he could make any remarks about elves or hermits, however, a rumbling shook the room hard enough that Amador and Red fell over, Mello fell on his face, and Near almost lost his footing.

"What was that?" Amador asked.

"Shit," was all that Red said.

Another rumble and Near was making for the hallway, rushing down it until he found the trap door again. As he pulled it open, he saw a few people run by, being chased down by a large creature.

"Crap," he mused.

Mello stumbled up behind him, obviously weakened. Before he could say anything, Near was rushing after the monster. "Wait-" Mello called, stumbling after him. Near ignored this, however, conjuring a ball of ice and throwing it at the creature.

The thing turned around, letting out an angry screech, before it switched targets.

Near stopped running toward it as it began to run toward him. After a few seconds of debate, he turned and bolted in the opposite direction.

"Nice going," Mello huffed as the albino ran past him.

Before Near could say anything he ran (quite literally) into a wall. (That was what he got, he supposed, for paying attention to Mello and not where he was going.) The impact stunned him for a few moments and when his mind finally cleared he realized the creature was rearing up to attack him.

The next thing he knew he was behind it, Mello holding on to him.

"Wow," the blonde breathed. "He was right. His power really _was _speed."

"That's wonderful," Near hummed, a bit sarcastically. "Now that we've established this, we should run."

The now extremely pissed off creature turned, swiping blindly. A quick duck and a roll-back dodge saved both of them, but the creature wasn't about to give up. Knowing they wouldn't be able to beat it without re-grouping, so to speak, Mello picked Near up over his shoulder and bolted out into the open.

Bad idea.

There were at least 20 more of those things, surrounded by a good one hundred other types of creatures, all attacking buildings and people. There were running civilians everywhere, screaming and trying to get away. Mello dropped Near onto the ground none to nicely, snapping himself out of shock.

Near didn't complain, even though being dropped had stung a bit. Instead he stood and frowned, knowing just as much as Mello that they couldn't take on this many monsters. They weren't powerful enough… they weren't strong enough!

"We have to try," Near breathed.

"You have a death wish," Mello informed.

"We can't die," Near reminded.

"Then you have a die-and-come-back wish," Mello corrected.

Near gave no answer, instead conjuring up magic. It was the same skill that he had been practicing back at Glace's castle… the one he blew up half of Mello's room with. However this time it was beginning to grow bigger and bigger… by the time Near actually threw it in the general direction of a large group of creatures, it looked like a full-on blizzard.

A few of the smaller creatures were blown away. They hit the ground and disappeared into puffs of dark smoke, high-pitched screams accompanying their demise. However the larger creatures were injured but not killed. Angered, they turned on Near.

They didn't get far before Mello was slicing any part of them he could reach open. A few good hits and they were disappearing, too.

But as soon as they had killed a few, double the amount closed in. Near readied up another attack and Mello took a fighting stance… only to find himself stumbling. His body grew weak as the seconds passed, needing rest from the sudden ability and the over-use of it. Near seemed to be handling himself okay, so Mello stepped back and instead tried a group of smaller monsters.

Once again, bad idea.

These creatures were quick and his speed was slowing. A few moments later they were closing in, backing him up against a building and cornering him. He tried to fight a few of them, but the more he fought the slower he seemed to become. The slower he became, the more tired he began to feel- his eyes were drooping and he swayed on his feet.

'I hope being eaten alive doesn't hurt as badly as it sounds,' he mused to himself, stumbling back and leaning heavily against the building behind him.

'What a thought to be having.' Another voice invaded his mind, but before Mello could question it a creature in the front of the pack jumped forward, claws out and teeth snapping.

He never learned if being eaten alive hurt.

Near was quick, it seemed. Quicker then Mello could remember him being. Possibly quicker then his own speed abilities, but that might just have been his clouded mind playing tricks on him. Either way, the albino was fast enough to jump in front of the attack meant for Mello. And damn, it looked like it would have hurt had it hit him instead of Near. Or so he imagined considering the blood turning scream that left Near's lips.

It didn't stop with one monster, either. Despite the sudden appearance of a new target, the monsters didn't stop. In fact, Mello could dare say they decided to attack even _more_, now that they had two targets. Either way, while they were distracted with Near he bolted forward, ready to use the last of his energy to get them both out of there.

That wasn't exactly how it happened.

It was a weird feeling. A weird feeling to go along with a weird event. Mello reached forward, grabbing hold of Near's shoulder and then…

It was like he was floating. He had this empty sort of feeling in his stomach and he swore he could feel the rush of air across his face, a wind that blew his hair and clothes around. Then there was white- white, all around him. In every corner, in every direction he looked… never ending white. But he wasn't afraid, oh no- the white was soothing, despite his past hatred of the damn color.

He felt so tired… he wanted to curl up and sleep forever. But wasn't there… something he should be doing? Somewhere he needed to be…? Someone he should be with…?

So tired… so, so tired…

'Hey, now. No falling asleep.'

There was that invading voice, again. Clawing through his mind… amused, but cautious. Calm, but anxious. Careful, yet longing.

'I can't do this without you, you know.'

As the voice spoke, he could feel the tiredness crawling away. Over run by a sense of duty…

A sense of worry…

_Near_.

'That's right.'

Mello forced his eyes open. Fuzzy, faded- he could see blurs of colors… light blue and white.

Near.

"Near?"

A smile. A careful look… it made him glow. No- no, that was something else.

Blue light, surrounding him. Pulsing. Every second, growing stronger…

"Wake up, sleepy head."

The world shook. The glow around the albino erupted, flying out every-which-way. The monsters screamed, all as one… shrieks, horrible shrieks. Then gone, disappearing into bursts of dark clouds. Gone, as if they had never been there.

'You can rest now.'

And Mello passed out.

_Will he wake up soon?_

_I can't say._

_He's been asleep almost four days…_

_You two need to move on._

_Give them a break. You should know better then anyone how much that kind of magic takes out of you._

_But he's fine!_

_Stop being such a prick!_

_He's waking up!_

_Mello? Can you hear me…? Mello…?_

"Near?"

"Mello…"

The first thing he noticed, upon opening his eyes, was a worried pair of dark ones staring back at him. Near pulled back after a few seconds, revealing a very worried Amador and a pissed off Red.

"Finally," the mirror king snapped, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You've been out for four fucking days! You should have been off to see Kenny three days ago!"

"Give him a break!" Amador defended.

"We don't have time for him to get a break!" Red growled. "In case you've forgotten, the fate of _existence _rests in his hands!"

"Magic takes a lot out of you!" Amador continued to shield the tired blonde. "Add that to a brand new power, let alone a _Mirror King _power, and that huge group of monsters-"

"If you two don't mind," Near cut in, making them both fall silent. "Could you take this argument elsewhere? Mello still needs his rest and your yelling probably wont make his headache any better."

"…How did you know I have a headache?" Mello questioned, wincing when said pain decided to kick up upon hearing its name.

"I assumed," Near lied.

Mello wondered how he knew Near was lying.

"You two better get ready," Ren bossed. "You're leaving ASAP, you hear me?"

'He needs to pull the stick out of his ass,' Mello thought to himself, trying to sit up but ending up flopping right back down.

'I'll second that one.'

Mello's head snapped toward Near, who looked back at him at the same time.

"Did you just-" Mello began.

Near finished his sentence with, "-talk to me in my mind?"

Amador glanced at the both of them, before he gave a soft smile and laid a hand, one on each of their shoulder's. "The bond of soul mates grows deeper," he explained. "The longer they are together."

Removing his hands, he then lifted up a single finger, like a parent teaching their child a valuable lesson. "That is how you were able to conjure that wave of magic that cleared this city of monsters."

"What?" Mello asked, not remembering such an event.

"So that's what that was…" Near breathed, looking content with the answer.

Giving a short nod, Amador then shooed Red out of the room, telling Mello to rest.

"What wave of magic?" Mello asked, looking at Near for some answers.

"You don't remember?" Near questioned. Mello gave him an '_obviously_' look and he took a seat on the bed, explaining, "You were being cornered by the creatures, so I jumped in to help you. They all started attacking me… but when you reached out and touched my shoulder, all of the wounds I had healed." To show it, he turned around, revealing several tears in the back of his clothes. "Then this weird light surrounded the both of us. It shot out and destroyed all of the creatures."

"Ah…" Mello hummed, trying to remember something like that.

_I can't do this without you, you know_.

That smile… it hadn't seemed like Near, but it was. The memory was fuzzy and he couldn't remember if he had been touching the albino or not… all he could see was that smile and those words.

_I can't do this without you_…

Near spoke, interrupting his train of thought. "Get some rest. You're exhausted."

Deciding not to ask how Near knew that (as he didn't want to hear anymore bullcrap about this 'Soul mates' thing, despite all the evidence before him), Mello watched Near head toward the door. Before the other left, however, words that Mello didn't mean to speak fell from his lips.

"Near… about that night-"

Near cut him off, turning toward him once more. His voice was blank, so much like it had been back then… so much like his own Near. But this Near- he was different, wasn't he? He showed emotion, at times… he dared to do things the other Near wouldn't do…

He was dying. Taking risks because he didn't know if he would live to see another year or even another month. He was carefree, wanting to just live life to its fullest…

"It's fine," Near lied once more. "Just forget about it."

He left, closing the door behind him. And Mello, once more, wondered how he knew that Near was lying.

Then he found himself wondering why he didn't want the albino to just 'forget about it.'

Red didn't get off their back until they were literally headed into the forest, their bags packed with food and Near's clothes repaired. He shooed them out of the entranceway and waved for a few moments before disappearing back into the city. It seemed a bit anti-climatic to Mello. Near agreed silently. Neither of them said anything aloud.

The attachment between them was really starting to creep Mello out.

Red had mentioned that this net Mirror King lived out in the forest near the Thief town, but he hadn't specified where. This pissed Mello off because as soon as they got to Thief town, they had no idea where to go. After a silent debate (once again, neither of them said anything aloud), they decided to set up camp for the night and hope the sunlight would help them find whatever they had missed.

Near took the first watch because Mello was still tired. Despite the non-spoken argument Mello put up, the albino insisted without actually talking. And although they both agreed this mind-reading (or whatever it was) thing was annoying, it was actually quite useful and might come in handy at some sort of epic battle, later on.

Mello fell right to sleep and Near took a seated position, using his floating abilities to hover above the ground and keep his clothes clean.

He decided to watch the blonde sleep, instead of watching around for intruders. This might have been a bad choice on his part, but for some reason, Near couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of the other. Mello looked tired, worn… old, but not in an unattractive way.

Near wondered about things, things that would probably be unsafe to wonder about had Mello been awake, with this newfound sharing of thoughts. Things like the past, the present, the future…

They had been told they could go home if they finished this mission, but… would home mean their own separate worlds? Would Mello return to his reality alone and Near to his own, the same way…? Would he return to his old body, with the brain tumor that would slowly kill him…?

What if… he didn't want to go home? What if he wanted to return to Mello's world, or even stay here in this place?

And what about Mello…? What would the blonde choose? At the end of this mission, would he really leave if it meant never seeing Near again? The more he thought about it, the more the albino found himself hoping that Mello would not leave him.

Maybe it was this soul mate thing that was bringing them together… or maybe, just maybe he was starting to fall-

Before he could finish that train of thought, a hand flew over his mouth and a long braid of hair fell over his shoulder.

"Don't scream," came a feminine voice, right next to his ear. "No one will hear you. Plus, there's no real point. You've been looking for me, haven't you?"

The woman removed her hand from his mouth and stepped around in front of him. She had long brown, pulled over her shoulder in a braid. One of her eyes was green, while the other was blue. She dressed in a simple pair of pants and a tank top.

"Name's Kenny," she introduced, giving him a short bow, before taking a crouching position on the ground. "You must be the white one, yeah?"

"Is it that obvious?" He hummed, looking her up and down. Although her voice was feminine, her body was not. In fact, she looked more like a male then a female.

"It's rude to stare," she laughed, waving a finger in his face. "Although I get it lots. Have you ever heard of 'transgender', kid?"

"They have that here, too?" Near asked.

"'M pretty sure they have it everywhere, yeah?" Kenny laughed. "Well, I was born a girl but I'm sure as hell not one anymore." She… rather, _he_ then hopped up and over to Mello, leaning down and poking him in the forehead. "Wakey wakey, sleepy head."

"What?" Mello questioned sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.

"Don't you look intelligent," Kenny laughed.

"Who's this?" Mello mumbled, sending the man a glare. "Whose this kook?"

"Hey, I'm a king. You should be respectful, yeah?" Kenny offered.

"If being a king means you've got one of these fancy ass powers, then I'm one too," Mello informed.

Kenny laughed, once more. "Good point. You're smarter then I thought, yeah?"

Mello gave Kenny a frustrated look, before moving to stand. "So. What is your power, which one of us gets it, and where's this next Mirror King?"

"Nice to meet you too," Kenny hummed. "What's your hurry?"

"We wasted a bit of time with the last mirror king," Near explained, stating exactly what was on Mello's mind.

"Because there was a huge attack and you wore yourself out using a double spell, yeah?" Kenny hummed, before laughing at the dumbstruck look Mello gave him. "I can read minds."

"_Great_," Mello sneered.

"Isn't he the friendliest little crayon in the box?" Kenny directed toward Near, who merely gave a shrug in response and decided to stay out of said conversation.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," the King went on. "I'm Kenny. I'm 21 years old… my favorite things are the forest and annoying the hell out of peop-"

"I didn't ask that," Mello groaned.

"Did you not hear the last part, yeah?" Kenny asked. "Annoying the hell out of people."

He laughed again as Mello gave him another frustrated glance.

"Okay, okay," the King managed to slow his laughs into giggles. "I'll tell you." Clearing his throat, he went on; "My element is Earth, which shouldn't be surprising considering where I am, and my powers will be going to the White One."

"Great," Mello huffed. "Pass it over so we can go."

"Is he always in this much of a rush?" Kenny asked Near, who again just gave a shrug and stayed out of the conversation.

"Imagine this," Mello huffed, catching the King's attention. "You're dragged into a world where nothing makes sense, you're given the person you hate the most to hang around with, and you're told that unless you and this person save this weird world, you're not allowed to go home. Got that in mind? Great. Now tell me how much of a hurry you'd be in to get back home."

Kenny pondered this for a few moments before be informed, "Actually, I'd have an awesome time exploring this place and showing up this person I hate by sleeping around with whoever he or she happens to be attracted to."

"I'm glad Mello is my partner and not you," Near hummed.

"Aren't we all, yeah?" Kenny laughed.

"I'm glad you're not _my _King," Mello huffed.

"Hey, now!" Kenny whined. "That's just plain rude."

Before any more idiocy could go on, Mello cleared his throat and asked, "Can we _please _just get this over with? Look- the faster it's done, the faster your world is saved. So lets _go_."

"Bossy, bossy," Kenny hummed, before standing up. "Okay, okay. But first, I have to take you to my home. Don't give me that look! The mirror is there and I need it to pass my powers on. Gather up your stuff so we can go."

Near and Mello both grabbed hold of their bags before they began to follow the strange woman… _man_, through the forest.

"Welcome to my humble abode," the King hummed as he pushed open the front door of a small log cabin. It was barely one room, a bed in the middle and a small bathroom off to the side. Next to the bed was a crystal ball, much like the ones Glace and Red had possessed.

Mello put his stuff down on the bed and Near followed suit. The blonde made himself comfortable next to their things as Kenny directed Near over to the mirror, motioning for him to kneel in front of it.

"I suppose I could warn you about how badly this might hurt," Kenny hummed as he knelt across from Near. "But I'm sure you already know, yeah?"

Near nodded and took in a deep breath of air. Mello turned his head away, closing his eyes- not wanting to watch, or to hear that cry of pain… he felt embarrassment fill him as he realized that Near could tell what he was thinking and even more so when he remembered the albino could also feel what he was feeling.

Damn soul mates… damn world… damn mirrors!

Damn _Near_!

The albino let out a small cry and flopped over. Kenny sucked in a deep breath of air and held it for a few moments before he stood and approached Near. Mello turned to look as he lifted his partner off of the floor, motioning for the blonde to move. As he crawled out of the way, Kenny laid Near down on the bed.

"He passed out quick, yeah?" The King asked, voice weak.

"He always has been kind of a wimp," Mello mused.

"But you love him anyway."

The words caught Mello off guard. He jumped, snapping his eyes toward the King. Kenny watched his reaction, a look in his eyes as if he were trying to read Mello's soul… the blonde quickly blocked his mind off and narrowed his eyes.

"I don't love him," he informed, speaking in a clear and steady voice.

Kenny smiled. "I know."

"…Then why?"

The king continued to smile that goddamn smile… that all-knowing, 'I can see through your lies' smile.

"You don't love him _now_," he corrected. He then stood and walked over to the kitchen area, ending their conversation. Leaving it off.

You don't love him _now_.

But that doesn't mean you wont, someday.


	7. Shadows

Dream of Mirror

Chapter 7 – Shadows

Ice-Puppet

Their stay at Kenny's went off without a hitch, thankfully. No attacks, no battles- Near rested for a day or so before they set off to LiSen's.

Near dragged behind a bit. It could have been his weakened body, or Mello's new found speed ability- either way, the blonde kept having to stop so his albino partner could catch up with him.

They walked in silence, both forcing themselves not to think or feel anything. For Near, this was easy, however Mello wasn't having such a wonderful time doing so. Still, if he tried hard enough he could hide most of his emotions and shield off whatever else he felt from Near. He was frustrated… if he had his choice, he wouldn't have to share a mind, feelings, this adventure, or _anything _with the other man. He would rather have _Matt _over Near any day, and the redhead drove him _nuts_. But it wasn't his choice, so all he could really do was sit there and grumble about it.

Near eventually switched to floating, possibly more tired then he was letting on, but Mello didn't bother to ask or even read his mind to check.

He pushed away any inner thoughts that could be dangerous… refused to think about Near, or about what Kenny had said. Hell, he didn't even let himself think about this stupid 'mission' or about the next 'Mirror King'… Mello left his mind blank, an amazing fleet for someone who always seemed to have a racing mind.

Near's mind was quiet, as well, or at least from what Mello could tell. It was possible the younger man had figured out a way to block all of his thoughts from Mello, but either way the blonde didn't really care. They walked in silence, the only sound being their foot falls, at least for a good hour or two.

Then they heard a voice.

"So _you're _the dark and white ones…"

Mello was completely content with ignoring the voice and continuing on, not wanting any more distractions. Near, however, stopped and turned around. Giving in with an annoyed groan, the blonde followed suit.

The young woman behind them wasn't really a woman at all. With black wings coming from her back and a twisting tail, it was obvious that she was some sort of creature… and, from the smirk on her face, possibly a rather powerful one.

Near took a careful step back. They were still in the forest, so he would have a sort of advantage… but his Earth magic was still new and he barely knew how to use it.

The creature held her hands up, shaking her head. "I don't want to fight you. I'm just… seeing what I am up against."

"What you're up against?" Mello repeated, removing the daggers from his waist and glaring.

Another smirk from the woman. "My name is Holand Holly."

"Holand…" Near breathed, remembering the name. "You're the leader of the rebellion."

"Bingo," she giggled. "What a smart little cutie you are." Both Near and Mello ignored the comment, although Mello unconsciously took a step in front of the albino. "You know," Holand went on, flipping locks of brown hair over her shoulder. "I was expecting a bit more. Honestly… _you two_ are supposed to be the saviors? An angry blonde and his little creampuff bed buddy?" Shaking her head, she then stepped forward and purred, "Do you really think you can defeat me?"

They both stayed silent.

After a few moments, Holand let out a shrilled laugh. She then held out a hand and offered, "Tell you what… you surrender now and I won't kill you. In fact, I'll send you both home, unharmed."

Near sent Mello an almost nervous glance, but the blonde merely shook his head and laughed. "I may want to go home," he hissed. "But I'm not about to take a cowards way out."

Another laugh came from Holand, piercing their eardrums. She shook her head for a moment, but then frowned. "Have it your way," she hissed.

Before either of them could move, the woman was suddenly behind them both, one arm wrapped around Near's middle, the other hovering sharp claws around his throat.

Mello twisted around, eyes widened. She was fast-!

"Here's my deal, sweetheart," Holand purred, moving her lips right next to Near's ear. Near bit his bottom lip, trying to remain calm. "You surrender, or I rip his throat open."

Mello was silent for a few moments before he offered a shrug and stated, "He can't die, anyway."

Near kept a straight face, while Holand's scrunched up into an angry growl. She extended her claws and went to dig them into Near's neck, but a flash of blue light had her flying backward. Near raised a hand to his neck, touching the choker that was still there from a while ago.

"A protection charm?" Holand hissed.

"Damn straight," Mello replied with a smirk, although he inwardly had no idea that the stupid necklace was actually magic. A lucky break.

She wasn't upset for long, however. A smile fell back over her face before it twisted into a grin. "Have it your way, then," she purred, unfolding her wings and getting ready to take to the sky. "He may not be able to die, true, but he sure as hell can _feel pain_."

Then she was gone, lifting off into the sky and flying in the direction they had come from.

"Protection charm…" Near breathed in what sounded like relief. He dropped his hands away from the necklace and gave Mello a quiet glance.

"We're fucked," Mello informed him.

Near gave a quiet, defeated hum in response.

--

LiSen, it turned out, was Aireio's cousin and the owner of the dagger she had given Mello.

Before he told them his powers or who it would be going to (although the two were beginning to notice a pattern and therefore assumed Mello would be the next one getting an ability), he informed them he would be teaching Mello how to use his daggers. Although the blonde protested, the mirror king eventually won.

LiSen was almost as short as Near, with red hair and kind brown eyes. He was human, like his cousin, however he was obviously not a shaman as he didn't wear the same robes Near did. His build suggested he was strong, although his kind nature suggested he did not use that strength to fight. This was confirmed when he informed them that he had been a pacifist before his powers had been given to them, afterward saying something about how someone without much power could quickly become a mirror king, or something along those lines. Neither man decided to pay much attention.

The defeated feeling was a mutual one that flew over the connection like a shared meal, one both could equally their own portions from but still have enough to be full. What surprised them both was that this feeling didn't seem like it was shared… to both of them it was as natural as if they had never been connected in the first place.

This probably wasn't a good thing.

Scratch that, it was _definitely _not a good thing.

The town that LiSen lived in was called Rosen. It was a small little town and almost everyone gave them gentle smiles. They both agreed inwardly that this was much better then being fawned all over by fans or people begging them to 'save their world'. It was also silently agreed that it was nice that no one was forcing their food or items upon them, although Near still wore the choker that had saved his life from Holand. Or, rather, saved him from dying and coming back, although that didn't sound like much fun either.

LiSen was not as difficult as Kenny. He was also not as frustrating as Red, nor was he as annoying as Glace. In fact, he was rather quiet. Aside from telling them his powers and what he said to Mello when he was teaching him, he didn't say much.

LiSen took Mello just outside of town to train him and Near, having nothing else to do, decided to follow. Mello didn't complain about this aloud, nor did he feel any resentment over their bond. He was, however, frustrated that LiSen wasn't just going to give them his powers and send them on their way. Although Near thought that they could probably use the training (as Holand now seemed like a much bigger threat now that they had seen her face to face), he agreed that training Mello to use his daggers probably wasn't the most useful thing. However LiSen knew more about this world then the two of them combined, so neither of them protested much more then an annoyed noise every so often.

Turns out it was a good thing, this training.

--

"I know you're probably wondering why I want to teach you to use my daggers," LiSen mused, speaking for the first time since he had motioned for Mello to follow him to the training ground. He didn't catch either man off guard. "Well, its because these daggers are special. They have a hidden ability, one that, if used correctly, could make them that much more useful to you in your battle against Holand."

"Magical daggers," Mello huffed. "I should have known."

LiSen held out his hand and Mello handed over the daggers without question. The Mirror King held them for a few seconds in silence, seemed to be lost in thought, before he turned around and threw one of them at Near at an alarming speed. Near wasn't able to dodge, caught off guard, and the dagger flew straight threw is chest…

As if he wasn't even there.

"What the fuck-!?" Mello gaped, not quite sure of he was questioning LiSen's judgment or the fact that he had just thrown a dagger straight _through _Near without actually hurting him.

"As I said," LiSen mused, smiling slightly as Near turned around and stared at the dagger, which stuck out of the tree he was sitting in front of, trapped with the force of the throw. "These daggers have a special ability."

"They can't hurt people?" Mello asked, watching as Near pulled the dagger from the tree.

"They can't hurt anyone you don't want to hurt," LiSen corrected.

"Nifty," Mello hummed, approaching Near. The albino handed him the weapon without question.

"Not only that," the Mirror King went on. "But if someone else takes the daggers from you, they still are unable to hurt anyone that you don't want hurt. For example, the fact that I just threw them at your companion and he was not killed."

Near gave LiSen a somewhat baffled look while Mello turned around and stared at him. After a few moments the blonde voiced what they both were thinking. "How did you know I didn't want him dead? You could have killed him."

"I suppose I didn't know," LiSen mused, ignoring the look Near sent his way. "I just assumed you didn't want him dead, considering he is your companion and soul m-"

"Don't say those words, for the love of _god,_" Mello groaned.

LiSen stared at him. "What?" He questioned after a few moments.

Mello didn't answer. Instead, he turned around and swiped at Near with the dagger. After a few good swipes confirmed that LiSen was right and he was unable to hurt the Albino, he turned back to the Mirror King. "So how do I control this? What if I want to stab Near?"

"Why would you want to…?" LiSen asked, obviously baffled.

"Because I hate him," was Mello's response. (Near wondered if he had imagined that Mello had to force those words out.)

"…What?" LiSen asked.

"Just teach me," Mello responded, taking another swipe at Near. The albino flinched, assuming that the blade would cut him now that Mello had confirmed he 'wanted it to.'

"Once those blades have confirmed you as their owner," LiSen went on, approaching the two men and handing the second dagger to Mello. "Which they have already, by the way. They will be unable to harm your soul- er, sorry, your _companion_- at any time."

"Really?" Mello mused. "Damn."

LiSen gave him another really confused look. He then glanced to Near, before shifting his eyes between the two of them for a few moments. Then, shaking his head, he then began to explain to Mello how to use the daggers properly.

Near quietly got up and left.

--

It took about two days to train Mello how to properly use the daggers. In those two days, LiSen had earned quite a few new scars.

Mello hadn't seen Near since the first day.

He wasn't worried. He could tell Near was fine… that bond between them came in handy at some points. He couldn't feel anything, however, aside from the general feeling of life that came from the other end. Near had closed himself off and Mello wasn't sure why he was so surprised… hadn't he grown up used to this Near? Hadn't Near spent their childhood cold and distant, emotionless and alone?

Even if he was a different Near, he was still _Near_.

'Even if he is dying,' that little voice in his head spoke, almost singsong. 'He's still Near.'

'Even so,' another voice protested. 'His disappearance was pretty sudden. He's probably upset. Maybe you shouldn't be such an ass to him.'

'Ha!' the first voice laughed. 'You've always been an ass to him. You hate him and he knows it. I doubt he's upset about _that_, and if he is then he really _isn't _Near.'

"I'm going to stop talking to myself in my head now." It took Mello a few moments to realize he had spoken aloud. It was the look on LiSen's voice that finally gave it away.

The Mirror King raised an eyebrow at him and cleared his throat, before motioning to the task they had been performing. "As I was saying… my ability is over wind. Yes, it is a magic ability, not a melee ability. It will probably be hard for you to control, so I will be helping you out at first. I'm sure your so- er, companion- could probably teach you a few things too. If he learned from Aireio, he learned from the best."

"Wind, huh…" Mello mused. It wasn't a power he had expected from LiSen and even if he had known he would have assumed Near would be the one to rule over it. After all, if he could control that blizzard attack, he could probably control a gust of wind.

"This is going to hurt," LiSen warned, but Mello already knew. The fact that he knew made him more tense, which made the beam of light hurt worse then the first time. Mello knew Near could feel the pain that flew through him because a wave of concern flew across their bond for a few seconds before Near cut off all contact once more.

LiSen didn't look as worn from the transfer as the first three kings had, but he still seemed a bit tired. Still, he stood up and helped Mello over to his bed, laying him down and telling him to get some rest. As Mello fell asleep he saw the redhead grab his coat and head out the front door, locking it after himself.

He was probably going to look for Near, or something. Or so Mello assumed.

He fell asleep quickly, drifting off into the land of dreams without any more thought.

--

"Hey! Wake the hell up!"

Mello groaned, throwing a hand over his forehead and rolling over. He must have been really worn because he could have sworn that was _Matt _talking to him.

"Okay, that's it-!"

Suddenly the world was spinning around him. It took a few moments for him to realize that the mattress was being pulled out beneath him, but the ground rushing up to meet him as he hit the floor was a nice wake up call.

That damn carpet wasn't very plush, either-

Wait… _carpet_?

LiSen's floor had been _wood_.

"What, you going to sleep the day away? We have work to do!"

Mello's eyes snapped open. Okay, there was no way that voice was imaginary-! He sat up quickly and sure enough found himself staring at a very peeved redhead, hands on hips and goggles over his eyes.

"Matt-!?" He gaped, probably looking like an idiot but not caring.

"Mello?" Matt retorted, throwing a hand over his mouth in shock. He then grabbed a pillow off of the floor and threw it at the blonde. "Who else would it be, dumbass?! I'm only your _roommate_!"

Scrambling to stand, Mello quickly glanced around the room. Sure enough, he was in the bedroom in the last hotel room he had been in, before he had woken up to find himself in that weird other world. There were no traces of anything from there… he was back in his old clothes, the daggers on his waist were gone, and worst (or maybe best) of all- he couldn't feel Near.

"What the fuck?" He gaped, ignoring the look Matt was giving him. "Where the hell is LiSen? Where is _Near_?"

"Did you smoke something and forget to share?" Matt asked, only to huff when Mello paid no attention to him. He grabbed the blonde's face and forcefully turned it toward himself. "Uh- _Hello_? I don't know who the hell 'LiSen' is, but he's probably some weird freaky L look alike you made up while high. And in case you've forgotten, Near is _dead_. He died a while ago. Over four years, in fact. What, were you dreaming about him?"

"I-" Mello stopped before he could go off. It was entirely possible that he was in fact dreaming. In fact, the possibility was an extremely high one. Although it was also possible that he had been dreaming when it came to the 'other world' and seeing Near again, the possibilities of that were much lower. If it was true that you were unable to feel pain in dreams, then that ruled out that choice entirely.

He was going to go with the idea that this was a dream.

However, he had felt pain from that fall onto the floor, so obviously this was no 'ordinary' dream. Mello didn't know much about magic, but if his daggers could go straight through Near without hurting him then he was pretty sure that Holand could trap him in his own mind and make him believe he had been sent back home. There was only one way to test it, however, and although it might leave him sounding a bit like an idiot it was worth a shot.

"I'm not buying it, Holand," he breathed toward Matt.

The redhead looked annoyed for a moment before he gave a small sigh and threw his hands up in defeat. "My sources were right when they said you were smart. Your powers of deduction are amazing… it barely took a few moments for you to realize that this was a dream and that I was a fake. Bravo, I'm impressed."

"I don't give a damn if I impress you," Mello hissed.

"I don't expect you to," Matt informed.

"Let me out of this dream," Mello demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Matt laughed. It was a laugh like Holand's- shrill and high-pitched. It sounded horrible on the redhead, like he was choking on helium. He lifted a hand to his lips, curling his fingers in a feminine way. All in all, Mello was a little unnerved by this. "Who says I have to?" He asked. "I could keep you trapped in here forever. Then you and your little boyfriend would never be able to stop me."

"My boyfriend doesn't need me to stop you," Mello hissed, not letting Holand know that Near being called his 'boyfriend' bothered him. She could use it against him, later on. And no doubt she would. "He could kick your ass with his hands tied behind his back and his eyes blindfolded. You're just a spoiled little bitch who decided she didn't like the way things were and rebelled against the system."

Matt's face twisted into an angry growl. "Shut up!" he hissed.

"Have you even thought about the consequences!?" Mello accused. "I don't even come from your reality and I know what' going to happen- you do realize that you could unmake _existence_, right? As in _everything_. Including _yourself_. What' the point in leading an army when the end result doesn't include _existing_!?

"That isn't true," Matt protested. "You're just saying that."

"Why the hell would I 'just be saying that'!?" The blonde questioned. "If I was going to come up with a reason to stop you it wouldn't be something like 'unmaking existence.' Because it would be obvious that you wouldn't believe me and that wouldn't solve anything, would it?"

"Stop trying to confuse me with your reverse psychology," Matt hissed. Before Mello could say anything more he growled and threw his arms up again, before turning around. After a long breath, he looked over his shoulder and smirked. "Okay, fine," he mused, voice sing-song. "You want to wake up? That's fine by me."

"What?" Mello's eyes narrowed. What was Holand up to?

Before he could ask anything more, however, he was suddenly flying backward. And then he was floating again in that white abyss, alone.

Buy, like the last time, he wasn't alone for long. Soon enough he felt Near's connection weave its strings into his mind. He couldn't see the albino, but he could _feel _him again, and that was good enough.

He didn't need to see the other to feel the worry that spread over their connection. It fell over him like a blanket on a warm night, one that he didn't want yet he couldn't seem to fall asleep without the feeling of one wrapped around his body.

'Mello?' Near's voice called out through the white room.

'Near,' he responded.

He felt the other pull their connection, like he'd wrapped his hands around the rope and tugged as hard as his lithe body could handle. Then he was rushing backward again, this time through the white abyss.

When awoke he found himself sitting up in LiSen's bed.

"Mello!" Near was suddenly next to him, relief flooding over their bond.

"How long was I out?" Mello managed to ask before the headache set in and he dropped his head into his hands. It was powerful enough that Near winced a bit beside him, touching his own forehead.

"Almost three days," LiSen said from somewhere off to the side.

"You were-" Near began.

"Trapped in some sort of sleeping spell by Holand," Mello finished.

Near stared at him a few seconds before asking, "You can finish my sentences now?"

"No!" Mello snapped, glaring at the albino. "I already figured it out."

"You…?" Near tried, seeming a bit confused by these words.

"In my dream," Mello tried to explain, wondering if LiSen had anything like advil… maybe some magical spell that could get rid of his headache? "I woke up back in my hotel room. Matt was there. I realized almost instantly it was a dream and the only real solution was that Holand, or at least someone who works for her, had tried to distract me and keep me under some sort of spell."

"Wow," LiSen breathed. "You figured that out that quickly?"

"He's a genius," Near informed.

"Shut the fuck up, Near," Mello hissed. He was pretty sure Near could feel the annoyance that built up within him over their bond, considering the fact that he was making no effort to hide it. (Making an effort would only make his headache worse and he was in no mood to hide something so obvious.)

Near didn't apologize (not that he had expected him to. This was _Near _after all), but for a split second Mello could have sworn the other was giving off a wave of guilt… but before he could catch Near in the act their bond was blocked off.

"Distraction left and right," Mello muttered to himself, finally letting his head out of his hands to look up at LiSen. "I hope you can train me quickly because we just wasted three days."

"Yeah," LiSen agreed in a voice that showed he had no idea what to say. "Um… right."

--

Mello was back out with LiSen on the training grounds again about two hours later. Near hadn't put up any protest, although he inwardly thought the blonde was nuts. Still, he supposed they were rather pressed for time… the longer they took, the stronger Holand would become. They couldn't waste much more time or they would be ultimately screwed.

He was tempted to leave once more, to return to the hotel room he had been staying in while the blonde had been training before. However that would only waste time when the two of them needed to regroup, so instead he stayed in LiSen's house.

He hadn't been expecting Holand to attack like she did and, being who he was, he did not like being caught off-guard. Near was so used to being able to figure everything out before it happened that something just dropping into his lap was an unwelcome change. When Mello had refused to awaken he had panicked, not knowing what to think. After a moment or two in order to calm down he had tried to put all of the pieces together.

An unconscious Mello who refuses to awaken. Holand approaching only a few days before. A dull, empty feeling crossing over their connection. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

Okay… sometimes it did.

They didn't come back until dark. Mello was obviously exhausted, but Near didn't mention it. In fact, he didn't say anything. None of them did.


	8. Learning to fly

Dream of Mirror

Dream of Mirror

Ice-Puppet

Chapter 8 – Learning to fly

Seishi was the next Mirror king, located just outside a large city to the northeast. Apparently he lived on a lake and, to Mello and Near, that meant that his powers most likely located around water. (If Glace, the ice king, lived up in an ice castle and Kenny, the earth king, lived in the middle of a forest, then it didn't take a genius, let alone two, to figure out what a large body of water meant.) It was a good four days walk, but both of them were pretty used to it by then. In fact, after a days walk neither of them felt worn out.

Maybe it was the fact that both were distracted.

Although Near had appeared to be feeling better (as Mello clearly remembered his younger companion had been feeling rather ill before he had fallen into the river), the blonde watched him carefully. Near was eating more often then he had been before and he wasn't lagging behind, but they still didn't know if that brain tumor (Mello pushed away any emotion that threatened to come forward at the thought) was still in his head, or if it had been left back in his reality along with the fact that he was human.

"You know," Mello said after a stretch of silence that went on for hours. (They seemed to be getting longer and longer, these silences. While others had insisted that they were 'soul mates' and that they would only grow closer, so far he had only seen them grow farther apart. Then again, that could easily be his fault.) "If you're tired, you can do that floating thing."

"I'm not tired," Near responded in an almost comforting deadpan.

"So you're feeling better?" Mello asked, wondering if he had used the statement as a way to ask Near how he was feeling on purpose. (He supposed he should have _known_, considering it was his own brain… but lately he had become more and more confused with his own thoughts, as if someone else had invaded his brain.)

"I am," Near confirmed.

"I'm-" Mello stopped himself. He was what…? Glad? 'Disappointed'. That should have been his response. If he was going to be in character, then 'disappointed' should have been the word that prepared to come out of his mouth. But it _wasn't_. He was about to say 'glad.' He was about to say something completely unlike him without an afterthought.

What the _hell _was wrong with him?

This was _Near_. Twenty two, albino, short, skinny, annoying as fuck and beautiful in his own right _Near_. Near, who he hated. Who he _loathed_. Who he had wanted dead for years, who he had pointed a gun at and had been so close to pulling the trigger he had been able to _taste _the blood. Near, who had tormented him throughout his youth. Near, who had taken the one dream he had. Near, who was so _perfect _and _smart _and-

Near… who insisted he was friends with Matt. Near… who had grown up. Near, who had lived, had instead watched _Mello _die, had realized that he had only a few months left to live and… _Near_, who had turned into a different person over the four point nine years that he had been alone.

This wasn't Near. There was no doubt in his mind that while this was obviously _Near _in body and soul, it wasn't _his _Near. There was too many differences, no many things that did not match up. And while it was possible that they were different because they came from two different worlds, it was just as likely that this Near was so different because he had _grown up_. Because he had brushed with death and had lived, because he had seen everyone he cared about die around him.

Either way, this Near was so different that Mello wasn't sure he could _hate _him anymore.

But… did that mean it was okay to-?

'You don't love him now,' Kenny had said. 'Don't love him now.' That left so many things hanging that Mello wanted to take out his gun and shoot them all down. It wasn't _possible_. It couldn't be- it would _never _be. 'Love' was not something Mello could do, especially not with _Near_. Not hating him did _not _mean loving him. It did not add up. Dividing by zero- an improper equation. Your calculator would scream at you, call you an idiot for even attempting a math problem so stupid. _Everyone _knows you can't divide by Zero… _everyone _knows that Mello cannot love Near.

Turning his head, the blonde spared a glance at his companion. They had stopped for the night to rest and he had taken the first watch. Near had fallen asleep quickly, possibly more tired then he had let on. He slept quietly, not snoring like Matt or having fits of nightmares like some of the kids at the orphanage… so quiet, even in sleep. So… lonely? Was Near really _lonely_? He had always liked being alone, it was a strange thought. Then again, so was being friends with Matt, but the other kept insisting that they were inseparable. Just another difference between their two realities…

Near shifted, turning over to face Mello. The choker he still wore reflected the firelight. A protection charm. They had been lucky, that time… but there was no way they could rely on luck. Holand was strong and they weren't, not yet.

They couldn't die… that was the one thing they had in their advantage. (Well, they had two things, if they counted this 'soul mate' bond… but Mello didn't like to.) No matter how many things Holand threw at them, they could just keep coming back. That was… if she didn't separate them. He remembered what he had been told, how if Holand separated them it was possible they could be beat… how she would try _anything _to separate them.

Realizing the sun was coming up, Mello sighed and pulled himself to his feet. There would be no sleep for him tonight. He approached Near and bent down, shaking the small man's shoulder lightly. "Wake up," he requested, trying to catch the other's attention.

Near didn't budge.

"Near, come on," he tried again, shaking the younger man harder. Still no response. But he wasn't going to panic… not yet. One more try, then he could freak out.

"Wake up, Near," he tried to ignore the worry that crept into his voice as he practically took the other by the shoulders and shook him like a rag doll.

Near opened his eyes with a protesting groan and lifted a hand to rub at them tiredly. Mello let out a breath of relief and dropped his hands from Near's shoulders, standing and gathering his things.

"We should get there soon," he informed the other. Just something to say… something to stop another one of those silences from happening. But Near didn't' respond with anything more then a nod and they fell into one again, gathering their things and heading out for another walk.

--

"Holand grows more powerful still… and they've barely reached the halfway point. They're losing time, they need to hurry it up!"

A sigh. "Red, you're always rushing. Calm down."

A small giggle. "Ohh, Red got told"

"Shut up, Glace!"

"Oh, _someone _is in a bad mood"

"Would you two shut up!?" A groan. "Look, as much as I hate to agree with _Red_, he's right. They're losing time. They need a transport or some sort… something to speed up their journey. If they stall much more they're going to be too late."

"How are things on your end, M?"

"We can still see our reflections here, but I've noticed a few things…"

"Like?"

"Déjà vu. Things repeating themselves _constantly_, more so then normal."

"Oh, _great_."

"Hey, M… you know these two, right?"

"Since I was little."

"How well do you think they can do it?"

A sigh, again. Then a hum. "Honestly? I never thought they could work together… you guys have no idea how amazing it is that you managed to get them to do even that. Mello is… determined. Once he sets his mind to something he wont stop thinking about it until he's got it completed. Near isn't very determined, but he is very smart and I'm sure he understands the consequences if he doesn't get this thing done."

A laugh. "Never thought they were soul mates, did you?"

Matt snorted in amusement at the thought. "No, I didn't. You guys got me, there."

--

"Welcome!" The girl at the door chirped, bowing. "White one, dark one… my name is Seishi and I am the mirror king of water. Please, please, come in!" Stepping out of the way she waved them into her home, smiling widely.

They both stepped inside without a word. It was a nice little home, a bit bigger then Kenny's had been. A man with black hair was seated at the table, reading a book.

"This is my husband, Koutaji," Seishi introduced, motioning to the man. He gave a wave of indifference. The king then looked them both over, humming to herself. "You look familiar," she said to Mello. "What is your name?"

"Shouldn't you know that already?" Mello asked, remembering how Glace had known their names before they had arrived.

She laughed. "I suppose I should, but I'm quite out of touch with my other kings. I learned today that you would be on your way. I guess I need to check my messages more often, hm?"

"My name is Mello," Mello informed. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "This is Near."

"Ah," Seishi hummed. "Well, the name doesn't sound familiar, although I could swear I've seen you somewhere." She shrugged. "Oh well. Well, as I'm sure you've probably guessed, my powers will be going to the white one- sorry, _Near_- and we're in quite a bit of a hurry, I've heard."

"Great," Mello muttered. "Another Red."

Seishi laughed. "I'm nothing like Red, although he's the one who told us to hurry. His power is speed so I'm sure you understand why he's always in such a hurry, hm?" Shaking her head, she motioned for them to follow her outside as she continued talking. "Kamariya told me to teach you how to fly, as well. You will get around a lot faster if you fly… your journeys will take a mere day instead of four, this way."

"…Fly?" Near questioned.

"You can speak!" Seishi squeaked.

"Shocking, isn't it," Mello dead-panned.

"I can understand floating," Near went on without commenting on the side topic. "But flying…?"

"Your people cannot fly?" Seishi asked.

"We can," Near replied. "But not without the use of an airplane."

"Well," Seishi hummed. "I don't know what an airplane is, but here we use magic and swords."

"You fly on swords?" Mello asked.

"With magic," Near confirmed.

"You're going to teach us to fly," Mello repeated in a somewhat annoyed voice. "On swords."

"You sound so shocked," Seishi mused in confusion.

"This is sounding more and more like a bad videogame everyday," Mello groaned. "Next thing you know when I die I'm going to get a voice asking me if I want to continue or not."

"Maybe if you say no you can go home," Near joked.

"I don't want to go home yet." Realizing what he just said, Mello quickly added; "Because I want to beat the game! I want to play through to the end! That's why I don't want to go home. That's the reason!"

He ignored the small glance Near sent his way.

"As I'm sure you know," Seishi interrupted, bringing the attention back to her. "I need to teach you to fly first, since I'll be quite drained when I hand over my power."

"Do all people fly on swords?" Near questioned.

"No," Seishi replied. "Only the kings are powerful enough to do so. And even then, only the Sylphs have the ability to do it."

Mello cleared his throat. "If you haven't noticed, I'm a human."

Seishi smiled. "So you are."

"You are too," Mello informed.

"I think I know that," Seishi replied.

"You're going to teach us something you can't do?" Mello asked.

"I can do it."

"But you just said only Sylphs can do it."

"I did."

"But you can do it."

"I can."

"You're half Sylph, then."

Seishi smiled widely. "Bingo."

"You hide it well," Near informed.

"That's not the only thing I hide well," Seishi giggled. She then changed the subject; "Lets get to it, then."

"First floating," Mello muttered to himself. "Then magic, now flying… what is going to be next?"

--

Apparently when Seishi had said that only Sylphs could fly, he had meant it. This meant that Near not only had to learn to fly, but had to learn to fly two people at once- something Seishi said took at least a year to learn… and they had about three hours.

Thankfully flying came almost as easy as floating to Near. It was all in the mind. Flying two people, however, was quite a bit more difficult and he did not pick it up quite as easy… not only was that in the mind, but it was about balance and harmony with the second person. (Not surprisingly, Seishi told them that only soul mates could fly together.)

Mello thought it would be easier if Near just flew and he held on to the sword handle for dear life while dangling fifty feet above the ground.

He was probably right.

They were at it for about two hours before they actually managed to lift off the ground. The more frustrated they became, the harder it was to do. It was only after Seishi instructed them to both think about something similar- he even game them a topic, 'trees' –did they manage to do it. They were barely a few feet up before Mello realized and freaked out, causing Near to crash.

Seventeen tries later, they'd finally gotten it down… after a silent agreement to keep their minds clear and always think of L- a topic they could both keep their minds on.

After a few more successful runs, Seishi deemed them ready to go and they were heading over to the dimensional mirror so that she could pass on her powers.

"The next king is Fuoco," she began to explain as she prepared. "He lives in a desert to the east." She nodded in the general direction, kneeling down in front of the mirror.

"A desert, huh," Mello hummed, looking away.

"No need to rush," Seishi went on. "You've made good time, here, and the lack of walking will keep you two up to speed. Do be careful, though. The desert is a waste land and Fuoco's place is the only one for miles… if you crash you might be in trouble, especially if Near is injured. With my ability, though, you will be able to summon water… so at least you wont die of thirst."

Mello rolled his eyes.

Near tried to block the pain from flooding over their bond but didn't manage to. Mello winced slightly but managed to block most of it from his end.

Near must have been growing used to it, because he got back up and only stumbled a bit. Seishi's husband walked up and helped the girl to stand.

"You two should be on your way," she informed, leaning heavily on her husband.

"Don't you need a moment to rest?" Mello asked Near.

The younger man shook his head. "I'll be fine, since we're not walking."

"You sure?" Mello found himself asking before he could stop it.

"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't sure," Near responded.

"It was a pleasure meeting you two," Seishi informed with a weak smile. "Oh, and before you go- one more thing…"

"What?" Mello asked as Near grabbed the nearby sword they were supposed to fly on. (He ignored how messed up that last thought sounded.)

"I'm a boy."

Near turned around and stared at the mirror king, who gave a gentle smile. He then turned to Mello, who gave him an unsurprised look.

"What?" The blonde asked when Near looked at him in confusion. "I'm trapped in a psycho video game, nothing surprises me anymore."

--

Near was (unsurprisingly) right about not needing to rest. As soon as they were off it was obvious that he was fine, although he probably wouldn't have been had they been walking.

They stayed low to the ground, in case something came up and they needed to land- or in case they crashed. Both were careful not to stray their thoughts from their old friend.

It was only an hour or so before they hit desert. They stopped in order to get something to drink and eat.

"So…" Mello hummed, biting into that squid-like thing that tasted like chocolate. Seishi had a few extra, thankfully.

"So," Near repeated.

"What do you think this next guy's power is?" Mello asked, trying to make conversation.

"Fire," Near responded, sounding rather sure of himself.

"Fire?" Mello asked.

"Fire," Near confirmed.

"Why fire?" Mello questioned, taking a bite of his food.

"Glace," Near began, taking a drink of water. "Said that his brother's name is Fuoco, when we first met him. Glace is French for ice and Fuoco is Italian for fire."

Mello was silent for a few moments, lost in thought. He then gave Near an almost surprised look, realizing the albino was correct.

"They have French and Italian here?" He questioned.

"I'm not sure," Near mused, pondering the question. "Maybe they do. Or maybe they come from a different reality… maybe their parents came form our world. Maybe its just a coincidence. Maybe… maybe they're not actually speaking our language. Maybe we just hear it translated to us in a way we can understand it. Maybe their names aren't really Fuoco and Glace. Maybe that's just how we hear it. Maybe… this is all just a dream and I'm really in a hospital somewhere, on life support. Alone. Because there's no one left to come visit me. Maybe I'm just making this all up as I go. Maybe that's why their names are in French and Italian."

Mello stared at him with an unreadable face.

"If this is a dream," Near went on, staring at the bottle of water quietly. "Then I don't want to wake up."

Mello dropped his head as the albino stood up. While the blonde's end of their bond was closed, Near's was an open book… and it scared him. He didn't dare let himself explore the other's emotions, instead deciding to close himself off and try to ignore the sadness that leaked over from the other's end.

--

Fuoco was in fact Glace's brother… it was quite obvious by the likeness in their faces. The two brothers, however, seemed to be as different as their elements.

Fuoco was a Sylph like his brother, tall and dressed in similar robes. His face, though quite a bit like his brother's, was harsh and cold, like the Sylphs in the first city Near had visited.

He confirmed what Near had thought when he first opened the door. "Ah… so here you two are. I am Fuoco, the mirror king of fire."

Mello spared a glance at Near, but the albino didn't say anything. His head was down and he was staring off to the side.

"Mello," Mello introduced, before motioning to Near. "This is Near."

"I know your names," Fuoco informed. "My brother told me."

Mello didn't say anything more, instead following the king into the house, Near behind him.

--

"Their names are Mello and Near. Near is the white one- twenty two years old, white hair and eyes, five feet tall, eighty pounds."

"Wow, he's rather underweight."

"Mello is twenty four, blonde hair green eyes, five foot five, one hundred fifteen pounds."

"They both weight less then me!?"

"According to my sources they both come from the same universe… but alternative versions of that universe."

Holand turned around, giving the man an annoyed look. "I already knew that! I read his memories, remember?"

He cleared his throat. "Of course, mistress. Forgive me."

She turned back aground, crossing her arms. "Continue."

Looking down to paper, the man continued. "According to my sources… the two of them are soul mates, but they cannot stand each other. Or, to be more specific, Mello hates Near. Apparently Near does not feel the same toward Mello."

"Already knew that too," she replied.

"Um…" looking for something the woman might not know, he flipped through a few pages of notes before offering, "They slept together."

"What?" Holand turned around, seeming interested. "I don't remember _that _being a memory."

"It happened while they were here," he explained.

"I see," she hummed, walking up to him. "Tell me more."

"Um…" He looked back down to the paper, reading more. "Apparently afterward Mello told Near to forget it had ever happened."

"But little Near can't forget it, can he," she giggled, moving over to the nearby table and lifting something up off of it. "Because he's in love."

The man shifted through the papers in his hands, trying to find anything to confirm that.

"Perhaps," Holand mused, smirking at the drawing in her hand before she put it down on the table, next to a pile of white clothing and two Sylph dolls. "We've been going after the wrong person, all this time."


	9. The Truth

**Dream of Mirror**

Dream of Mirror

Ice-Puppet

Chapter 9 – The truth

The days and nights seemed to blur together. The silence was finally starting to get to him. Neither of the had spoken to each other since Near's claim- Mello had spoken to Fuoco, but the mirror king wasn't much conversation. (Not that Near was, but he was certainly much better then he used to be.) And, while the king was giving over his powers, Near had waited outside by himself. As soon as Mello had stepped outside he'd grabbed their flying tool and had prepared to take flight without another word.

It was very hard to concentrate on L when all of these thoughts were running through his head… which was probably the reason why Near began losing it only a few moments away from Fuoco's. Once he had lost it all hope was gone- the sword flew out from underneath him and the two of them were sent crashing to the ground, rolling over each other.

Thankfully, whatever injuries they might have sustained were stopped by the fact that they had clung to each other. A seemingly protective shield had wrapped around them.

They landed a good thirty feet away from the sword, Mello on top of Near. Both were a bit taken back, shocked by the sudden unprepared landing. It took a few seconds, but as they came to Mello fell off of Near and gasped for air, hand over his heart as it beat extremely fast.

"Why did we crash?" Near gasped out, hand also on his heart.

Mello turned to look at him. "Why did we crash!?" He yelped, sitting up completely. "_Why did we crash_!?" He was hysterical, throwing his arms up in the air and screaming, "_Why did we crash_!?" He then grabbed hold of the front of Near's robes, pulling the albino forward and yelling, "I'll tell you why we crashed-! We crashed because _you _haven't said _anything _to me in almost a _day_! We crashed because _you _left me hanging with '_If this is a dream I'd rather not wake up_!' Because _you-_"

Near cut him off by crushing their lips together.

Needless to say, neither of them said much of anything for the next bit of time. Or, well… nothing coherent.

--

"Well isn't that sweet," Holand laughed. "The little love monkeys are going at it again."

"Are you sure you want to watch that?" He asked, looking a bit ill.

"Soul mates are a beautiful thing," she replied with a smirk. "Especially the 'white one' and the 'dark one'." She turned back to the image in front of her, swirling in a large pot of water. "Aren't they precious? I just want to hug them… and then kill them!"

"They can't die here," he reminded.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Holand snapped, before turning back to the image. She dipped a finger in, running it across the water where Near was displayed. The albino shivered, as if able to feel the touch. "But when I get a hold of them, they're going to wish they could."

--

Unfortunately, although sex was a nice release, it had made Near's quietness even worse. This Near was almost a carbon copy of his younger self- quiet and reserved… pulled so deep into himself that Mello wasn't sure he was complete conscious.

The fly to the next king's place was slow and careful. They almost fell a few more times, but after a while managed to keep it steady enough that they didn't fall. The silence stretched on, more uncomfortable then it had been before… Mello felt horrible. Near had kissed him first, so he had assumed that some sort of tension had built up and the albino wanted release- he'd gone with it because of that. (Well, that wasn't the only reason, but Mello wouldn't admit any of the others to himself.)

Near, however, seemed to be feeling worse.

The next Mirror king was quite a bit different from the rest, look-wise; it appeared they did have albinos in this world because Arret was _definitely _an albino. He had sholder length white hair and almost white blue eyes, a somewhat muscular but still too thin body, and tattooed thick black lines around his neck, wrists, and ankles.

"I am Arret," he informed, bowing lowly. He had an odd accent, one that neither man could place. "And you are-" He stopped, giving Mello a surprised look. After looking the blonde over a few times, he shook his head, deciding whatever it was could not be true. "Anyway- come inside, please. I'm sure you two could use a rest- a bath, perhaps? This town has a nice bath house."

"Sure," Mello agreed automatically, only thinking of the fastest way to get away from his partner. "While you give Near his powers, I'll go check that out."

"But-" Arret tried, but Mello was already walking back out the front door. "How rude," he hummed, turning to look at Near.

The albino said nothing.

"You're an albino too," Arret hummed, looking him over. "A Sylph albino… now that is something that I've _never _seen. I'm not even sure those exist."

"Mm," was Near's offered response.

"What has you so down, white one?" Arret questioned, motioning for Near to follow him into a room in the back.

"Mm," Near said again.

"You don't want to talk about it," Arret confirmed. "Well, that is your right, white one… however I must tell you, if you always appear to be this down your people are going to question you."

"My people?" Near asked, following Arret into a large room, where the dimensional mirror sat.

"Of course," Arret replied. He looked surprised when Near gave him a confused look. "What isn't there to understand?"

"Why would they be 'my people'?" Near asked.

"You're a mirror king," Arret explained.

"So is Arret," Near replied, still into the habit of saying someone's name instead of the word 'you'. (Even though Ice-Puppet forgot for the last few chapters…)

"I am," Arret agreed. "But not for long."

"What?" Near questioned as he was put down in front of the mirror. "No, that… that can't be right."

"It is," Arret assured.

"We keep Arret's powers? Red's powers, Glace's powers…?" Near breathed in shock. "We don't give them back?"

"Once the power of a mirror king is passed on," Arret explained, kneeling across from him. "It can never go back."

"No one told me that!" Near almost snapped.

"If you had known," Arret lifted his hands to the mirror. "Would you have helped us?"

Before he could answer, a beam of light shot out of the mirror and hit him in the forehead. Near stumbled back in surprise, landing on his back.

"Arret-" he breathed, looking at the other man in shock. "Arret gave up his powers even though he knew he'd never use them again…?"

"I give up my powers," Arret corrected. "Because I know you can save us all."

--

There was no one at the bath house, thankfully. (Well, Mello had a feeling that if anyone had been there they had left as soon as they'd spotted 'the dark one' coming.) He hadn't had to pay, which was also nice, so he showered off and headed into the water, letting himself relax.

For a little while he managed to get away without any thought of Near, but unfortunately the albino eventually decided to join him.

Near didn't say anything as he slipped into the bath next to Mello. His head was still down and he looked a bit worn- the choker was still wrapped around his neck.

"Its weird," Mello said after the silence began to get to him.

"What is?" Near asked.

"You being depressed," Mello replied, leaning lower into the water.

Near turned to look at him, face blank. "Why does Mello think I'm depressed?"

"Because," Mello responded in a strong voice, turning as well so that they faced each other. "There's this annoying little thing in my head and somehow it's identical to an annoying thing in your head. This annoying little thing allows me to connect to your annoying little thing and read how you are feeling." He hummed and crossed his arms, before adding, "Besides, its kind of obvious. You're walking around with your head down all the time, you barely say anything… and you haven't spoken to me since the other day."

Near turned away once more, lifting a hand to run it through his hair.

"Yes, you are that obvious," Mello informed.

"Stop reading my mind," Near demanded.

"If you don't want me to read it, stop being so damn open!" Mello snapped. "I know you know how to block your emotions off. You're a book with a double bolt and a pass code that changes every hour, but right now you're wide open and blinking neon signs."

Near began to curl a strand of hair around his finger slowly.

"Even if I left the book open," he breathed. "I didn't expect Mello to read it."

"Are you kidding me?" Mello asked. "That's like tasting the forbidden fruit and getting away with it."

"I didn't think Mello cared," Near said honestly.

"Well I d-" Mello stopped himself.

"You what?" Near asked after a few moments of silence.

"…I don't know," Mello replied honestly.

"One more question," Near said, turning around to pull himself out of the water. "How does Mello feel about me?"

There no answer from the blonde at first as Near pulled himself from the bath and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he said, "I…don't know."

"There's Mello's answer," Near stated, walking away.

He stopped in the doorway, remembering what Arret had said. But just as he was going to tell the blonde, Mello began to get out of the bath. Deciding he didn't want to be caught staring, Near swore to tell the other at a later point. He disappeared into the locker rooms without a word.

--

"I'm glad you are back," Arret said as he let Mello inside.

"Why?" Mello asked, instantly panicking. "Did something happen? Is Near okay?"

"Near is fine," Arret assured with a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. It was _you _I was worried about. It's almost dark!"

"You sound like a mother," Mello huffed. "I'm not afraid of the dark."

"It's not the dark you should be afraid of," Arret warned. "It's the night."

"The night?" Mello asked.

"The night is-" Arret paused. "_Was_- my element. I know all about it."

"I still don't get how _night _is an element," Mello snorted, moving over to Arret's couch and falling onto it. He then looked around and asked, "Where is Near?"

"Out and about," Arret answered, flopping beside him.

"But you just said-!" Mello protested.

"He's the master of night, now," Arret reminded. "He went out to get used to his power."

"'Night' is not a power!" Mello hissed. "It's a time of day!"

"That's what you think," Arret huffed, crossing his arms and turning away. "It's actually one of the most powerful of the ten!"

"_Time if day_!" Mello repeated.

Both of them fell silent when the front door opened and Near stepped in. He closed the door and walked through the living room, past the two of them, without a word. He turned down a hallway and they could hear a door close a few seconds later.

"Did you two have a fight?" Arret questioned.

"None of your business!" Mello snapped.

"A lovers quarrel," Arret hummed.

"We're not lovers!" Mello screamed.

"I see why he likes you," Arret smiled.

"He doesn't like me!" Mello protested.

"Are you sure?" Arret asked.

"Of course I'm sure! He's _Near_! There's no way _Near _likes me!"

It was obvious that Near could hear them when he felt a pull at the other end of their bond. He felt sadness fly over in waves before Near suddenly cut his end off.

"And you're _sure_, right?" Arret asked.

"Shut the fuck up," Mello groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

--

Near sat quietly at the window, staring at the sun as it went down. He was fairly excited for night- okay, 'excited' wasn't exactly the right word, considering his mood. However he _was _looking forward to figuring out what kind of powers went along with 'night'. Arret hadn't told him much, saying he would need to experience it first hand.

The thought of not only learning something new, but being able to control something as supposedly powerful as _night _interested him… wet his taste buds, so to speak. It wasn't the power so much as the thought of something so _amazing _being able to happen. Just a few weeks ago he had been content to believe that killing notebooks and gods of death were the only real wonders in the world…

Only a few weeks ago he would have believed that Mello was dead and that they would never see each other again.

But what could he expect? Mello hated him, right? A few weeks of amazement weren't going to change years of hatred.

A couple amazing nights couldn't change years…

Sighing, Near watched as the last few rays of sun fell over the horizon and out of view.

That's when it hit him.

It was like he could _feel _everything. The light breeze, the cool air, the heartbeats of billions… the first cry of a newborn baby forty seven point eight miles to the north west, the last breath of an old man sixteen point nine miles to the south. _Everything_.

It all washed over him, overwhelming. Everything… all at once, without any time to get used to it.

It didn't surprise him when black closed in around him and he passed out.

--

"Near! Wake up! Come on, Near! Wake up! _Near_!"

Clouded blue eyes slowly fluttered open. Mello let out a sigh of relief, dropping the albino back onto the bed and taking a few steps back, as if the touch burned.

"We thought you were trapped in a dream," Arret explained as Near sat up and took in his surroundings. "You didn't awaken for a while… but now I understand why." He nodded toward the window where the last bits of night were disappearing.

"That power…" Near breathed, turning toward the man. "Why didn't Arret warn me it would be so overwhelming…?"

"As I said," Arret breathed. "You needed to experience it for yourself."

"What was it like?" Mello asked.

Near looked to Arret. "Mello will have power over 'day', correct?" The other albino nodded. Near then turned back to Mello. "You'll find out."

"I don't like surprises," Mello reminded.

"Mello doesn't like me either," Near hummed. "But he seems to be getting along fine."

Mello stood up and left without another word.

Arret glance between the closing door and Near. "This is no good," he informed. "If you two are fighting-"

"Then Holand can over power us and she can win," Near finished. "I've heard it before."

"You two need to work together," Arret breathed.

"Tell that to Mello," Near responded, turning to look out the window once more.

Arret crossed his arms. "He's not the only problem," he informed.

Near looked at him. "What?"

"You're just as much to blame as he is," Arret informed.

"How does Arret figure?" Near asked, turning to face the other man.

"You're pulling away from him," Arret informed, taking a seat on the end of the bed.

"It's what Mello wants," Near replied.

"Mello doesn't know what he wants," Arret reminded him.

"It's what Mello would have wanted, before," Near tried.

"But people change," Arret said.

"Mello does not like me," Near informed.

"If he didn't like you," Arret started, leaning over to look the other man straight in the eye. "Then why refuse to give up when you wouldn't wake up?"

"What?"

The king smiled, leaning back again. "As soon as we realized you had passed out he took you into his arms and carried you to the bed. He tried all night to awaken you, never once giving up. He seemed very worried about you."

Near looked down to his fingers quietly. When he had first come to this world the slenderness and length of his hands had felt foreign, but he had grown so used to it now… this was _him_, now.

"Can I ask Arret a few things?" He questioned, turning to the other albino.

"Of course," Arret responded.

"You said that we are unable to return your powers to you," Near began, curling a lock of hair around his fingers slowly. "Will we be able to give them to someone else?"

"It isn't time for new kings to be chosen," Arret explained. "It wont be for some time… although I suppose if you _really _wanted to give up the powers you could force them on someone. But mirror kings are a special breed and it is difficult for someone not born ready for it to handle the powers. In fact… it could kill them."

Near gave him a look and the man shook his head with a small laugh. "I don't mean you and Mello! You two may not have been born for it in your world, but when you came here you were gifted with the powers to do so. Quarrel and Kamariya made sure of it."

"And what if I want to return to my own time?" Near asked.

Arret frowned deeply. "Impossible."

"Impossible?" Near asked.

"If you two leave this reality, it will cease to exist."

Near's eyes widened.

Arret explained. "The mirror kings exist in every reality. They are the hooks on the threads that keep them together. If even one of those hooks went missing, eventually the other ones would come lose and the world would disappear. If either of you were to leave that would be five hooks that would go missing… if both of you left this world would end instantly."

"So we can't leave," Near mused, trying to hide the smile that threatened to cross his lips. "Why weren't we told this in the first place?"

"Because-" Arret started, but Near cut him off.

"We wouldn't have helped and would have demanded to be sent home, and the ten kings wouldn't have had enough power to pull anyone else here."

"Exactly."

Near smiled to himself, looking out the window. "We can't go home?"

"Not until you lose your powers," Arret responded.

"That could be years," Near confirmed. Arret nodded.

The king stood, heading to the door. "Get some rest," he informed the other, before pausing. He then quickly added, "One more thing, white one…"

"What is it?" Near asked.

"Whatever you do… don't take on all ten powers, either of you. A body can only handle so many powerful abilities at once… five is pushing the limit." His eyes were dead serious, not straying in anyway. "If either of you were to take on all ten powers it would slowly drive you to insanity. It would kill anyone else."

Near nodded slowly. "I understand."

"Goodnight, my king," Arret said, before smiling and correcting himself. "Good morning, I mean."

--

Mello looked up as Arret wandered out from the back hallway. "Is he okay?" He instantly grilled, standing and approaching.

"Shouldn't you know that?" Arret questioned.

Mello glared at him. "He's closed off our connection. So no, I don't know."

Pushing past him, Arret headed back into the living room. Mello followed him, arms crossed, as if still demanding an answer.

"If you wish to know how he is feeling," the king explained. "Then you should ask him yourself."

"I'm asking you," Mello said in a voice that demanded an answer.

"And I'm telling you," Arret sounded bored. "That if you want an answer, I am not the one to ask."

Mello wasn't going to back down, however. He approached the shorter man and towered over him, eyes narrowed.

Arret wouldn't back down either, however. He merely laid a hand on the blonde's shoulder and said, "I can't read minds. You have a better chance of knowing how he feels then I do." He then removed his hand and walked away.

Mello frowned to himself. Part of him _did _want to go and ask Near how he was feeling… part of him wanted to bring up the subject they both were avoiding- to talk it out like two men their age should be able to do. Part of him didn't want to avoid this any longer, to be driven nuts by the questions constantly running through his head… But then there was this other part, this voice that told him, 'If you talk it out, if you talk about _it_, he might expect you to _be with _him. To stay here with him when this is all over. To _love _him.' And that part _scared _Mello… because he didn't think he could- no… he didn't _know _if he could love Near.

_You don't love him now_.

Groaning, Mello fell onto the sofa with his head in his hands.

He decided to just let it go and hope that Near would do the same.

--

It was late the next night and Mello was trying to get some sleep in one of Arret's extra rooms. Just as he was falling asleep he felt the world shake around him as he fell out of bed.

"What the fuck?" He questioned, trying to get up only to stumble when the world shook again. Outside of the window he could hear horrified screams and the roar of creatures.

"I knew we'd gone too long without an epic battle," he groaned, grabbing his daggers off the nightstand and running into the hallway.

"Mello!" Arret called, rushing up to him. "Where's Near?"

"What do you mean, 'Where's Near'?" Mello demanded.

"He's not in his room," Arret explained. "I just checked."

"Shit!" The blonde snapped, running to the end of the hall and kicking the slight open door almost off its hinges. Sure enough, Near was gone.

"Where did that little brat go!?" Mello screamed, running over to the window and looking around.

"You're asking me?" Arret snapped. "You're his soul mate, you figure it out!"

Climbing out the window, Mello reached out toward his albino companion. He quickly picked up the other's location and headed in the direction of it.

"Hey!" Arret cried after him. "Wait for me!" He bolted back into the house to get his own weapon before trying to catch up with Mello.

Arret lived just outside of the small city on a hill that over looked it. From Near's window, Mello could see that the city was under the attack of a large band of monsters. These ones seemed more sophisticated and intelligent then the ones they had fought before- they were riding on other creatures and carrying weapons; swords, daggers, lances, spears- one even had a bow and arrow.

He followed Near's trail to a building that had been set on fire and was burning quickly. Unfortunately, the albino was inside.

"Near!?" He called out as Arret tried to fight some of the creatures back.

"Where is he?!" The king called. "I don't see him!"

"Inside," Mello breathed. "He's inside."

"Go get him, then!" Arret cried. When Mello didn't budge he reminded, "You have power over fire, right? So use it!"

Remembering, Mello took a deep breath and ran into the burning building. The entrance clapped behind him, sending smoke and burning wood everywhere.

"Near!?" He called again, covering his nose and mouth with his arm to try and fight off the smoke. "Near, where are you!?"

"Mello?" Came a quiet call from a few feet away.

"Near!" Mello called out again, following the voice. "Keep talking! Near?"

"Mello," came the voice again. He followed it around a corner and into a large room… a play room, filled with a bunch of children; they were all huddled around Near, who was trying to summon and control enough water to put out the flames around them. He wasn't doing very well.

"Near, what were you thinking!?" Mello scolded, running toward them.

"They're orphans," Near breathed, before breaking into a coughing fit. Mello frowned deeply. "I could feel the monsters coming… I came here to protect these children before they got here." He coughed a few times. "I've been trying to summon water to put out these fires, but I can't seem to… I'm not strong enough…"

"You're weak because you just got a new power," Mello explained. "And this smoke is getting to you. We need to get you out of here."

"The kids first," Near insisted.

"Alright, fine," Mello agreed. "The front way is surrounded by creatures. We're taking a short cut."

Before Near could say anything Mello summoned a large ball of wind in his hands and threw it at the wall behind them. The walls around them creaked and threatened to give way, but by the time they did Mello had used his speed abilities to rush every last child and Near out of harm's way.

"Wow," one of the little girls breathed. "You're amazing."

Mello couldn't say anything in response as a group of large creatures screamed out and jumped (literally) on top of the building they were just in, crushing it to rubble. Arret ran up and gathered up the children, rushing them off to safety, leaving Mello and Near to deal with the creatures.

"How are you holding up?" Mello inquired as Near coughed again.

"I've been worse," Near said honestly.

"Worried at all?" Mello's attention turned to the creatures, which were slowly cornering them.

"Just a little," Near said.

"Yeah," Mello breathed. "Me too."

Both readied a fighting position, taking deep breaths. When the creatures reared their heads and charged, they were ready. They were fluid- when one moved forward, the other ducked back. When one aimed high, the other aimed low. When one readied a magical attack, the other protected him until he could cast it.

They worked perfectly together. Yin and yang. Soul mates.

"We need to get out of here!" Arret cried from somewhere behind them.

"There are more coming," Near confirmed. "Three times as many." He turned to look at Mello, face cold. "They're after me."

"What?" Mello gaped.

"Their leader just gave them an order," Near continued to explain, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "'Grab the albino. Holand wants him brought back to head quarters. He can't die, so it doesn't matter how much force you use.'"

"They won't get you," Mello swore. Near frowned and the blonde realized what he wanted to do. "No!" he protested, grabbing Near's shoulders and shaking him. "You're not going to be bait!"

"But-" Near tried.

"If they catch you," Mello hissed, pulling his partner up so that their faces were mere inches away from each other. "They will _torture _you."

"If it means Mello can get away safe," Near breathed. "I'm willing to take that chance."

He staggered back in surprise when the other reared back a fist and punched him across the face. "God damn it, Near!" Mello screamed. "Come to your senses! We're _both _needed to defeat Holand! If she captures you now then it's all over!"

Near lifted a hand to his cheek. He was silent for a few moments before he nodded in agreement. "Mello is right."

"Come on!" Arret called.

"Arret!" Mello called back. "Where is the next mirror king?"

"A small church to the east. His name is Kayen."

"Can you get these people to safety?"

"Yes. Go!"

Mello turned to Near and cleared his throat. "This might seem a little awkward, but I don't think we have much of a choice. Flying is too slow." He then leaned in and scooped Near up, one arm under his knees, the other against his back. "Hold on tight."

With a glance and a 'good luck' sent Arret's way, Mello burst into a quick run, heading east.

They could still see the flames from miles away.

--

_Knock, knock_.

"I'm coming!"

The rain had begun to come down and there wasn't a tree for miles. Mello had been knocking for at least three minutes as they stood in the pouring rain outside of the small church in the middle of nowhere.

The door was pulled open and a very short and very young boy appeared in the doorway, shoulder length white hair hanging around his face in a similar cut to Mello's. He couldn't have been more then twelve and he looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Come in," the boy said, opening the door wider and rushing them inside.

"You're kidding me," Mello said as he walked in, Near in tow.

"My name is Kayen Reese," the kid went on as he closed the door after them. "We haven't much time- Holand is beginning her attack."

"Two albinos in a row?" Mello asked.

"You must take your powers and go straight to Kamariya," Kayen continued, ignoring him.

"And how old are you?" Mello went on. "Twelve?"

"Fourteen," Kayen informed. "Please, follow me."

He walked toward the back of the church, behind the alter. From a secret compartment inside of it he removed the dimensional mirror, placing it in front of him and motioning for Mello to kneel.

"My power is day," Kayen informed. "It will be very difficult to handle at first and very hard to master… I'm not sure why it wasn't given to you first, but we can't look back at that now. You'll have very little time to rest. Thankfully it will be nightfall soon and this power will not bother you then."

"Alright," Mello breathed. "I'm ready."

Kayen lifted his hands to the mirror. Nothing happened for a few moments, before a beam of light shot up and hit him between the eyes. Mello fell backward onto his butt and winced. He then gasped as the power began to overtake him- he could feel everything around him- feel Holand's army destroying towns, destroying families… he could feel Near's heart beat, could feel every breath he took. He could feel _everything _all at once and it became too much. After only a few seconds he fell over into Near's waiting arms, passing out.

--

AN: Sorry about how much this is rushing... the truth is, I'm excited about the sequel I have planned so I want to get it done asap!


	10. The Day

Chapter 10 – The day

Chapter 10 – The day

"The day approaches quicker then we thought…"

"How much time do they have?"

"Two days…"

"Two days!?"

"Holand will attack in two days."

"They'll never make it…"

"Matt, what do we do…?"

"You're asking me?"

"You know these two better then we do!"

"That doesn't mean I know what to do!"

"Something has to be done!"

"…Oh god, we're fucked."

"Believe in them, Matt. They can do it."

"You always were too much of an optimist, Linda."

"Not optimistic, Matt. Just hopeful."

--

When Mello awoke it was night and he was no longer in the church he had remembered passing out in. He was instead in a plush bed in a room that looked like it was built for a king.

There were also quite a number of striped objects.

He was reminded of Matt.

"You're awake!" A much too cheery and somewhat familiar voice rang out as Mello sat up. He turned to see a young man with long black hair and silver eyes floating above a chair.

"Good morning," Quarrel greeted with a smile. "It has been some time, Mihael Keehl."

"Mello," he replied before giving the room another once over. "Where's Near?"

"Working with his night ability to give us a status on Holand's army," Quarrel informed, crossing his fingers and resting his chin on top of them. "We were hoping you could do the same, but it appears that your new abilities were too much for you to handle. You've been out for some time, now."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately," Mello mused.

"I have some bad news and some good news," Quarrel went on as Mello pulled himself off of the bed and grabbed his daggers off of the night stand.

"Tell me the good news first," Mello requested.

"I lied," the king informed. "There is no good news. The bad news is that you only have two more days until Holand's army attacks."

"What!?" The blonde gaped, turning to look at the king in shock.

Quarrel nodded. "Near overheard her saying so," he confirmed.

"Two days!?" Mello went on, obviously a bit panicked. "We can't beat her in _two days_! We still have more mirror kings to go to-"

"There is only one more," Quarrel cut him off. "Near has already taken my power. Kamariya is the only king left and she is already here."

Mello stared at him for a few seconds. "We're done…?"

"You're far from done," Quarrel informed. "You've got to get to Holand and beat her, now."

"Lovely," Mello groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "Is this ever going to end?"

"It can end one of two ways," Quarrel said, standing up (or rather, floating into a standing position). "Either Holand beats you and existence ends, or you beat Holand and it doesn't."

"You know," the blonde breathed. "The idea of existence ending isn't sounding all that bad now…"

"You may think that now… but imagine; if existence ends, so do you."

"Still not sounding all that bad."

"So does the world you came from."

"You're not making a good word for yourself here, Q."

"Near ends too."

Mello turned to glare at him. "Why would I care about that!? I hate him, remember?"

The king smirked. "If you hate him as much as you say then why so defensive?"

Before Mello could say anything more, Near burst into the room. He was gasping lightly, looking like he had been running. His hair was a bit messy and his robes were different from the ones he had been wearing when Mello had last seen him.

"Holand is on her way," he said.

"What!?" Quarrel gaped, standing up.

"She's only a few moments away," Near gasped. "She should be attacking any time no-"

Before he could finish his sentence the room shook with tremendous force.

"Why didn't you see this coming!?" Quarrel questioned.

"The sun is still going down," Near explained. "My vision was clouded because of it."

The room shook again and Quarrel grabbed hold of Mello's arm so he wouldn't fall over.

"Mello, come with me," he demanded, heading toward the door, still holding the blonde's arm in his hand. "Near, I want you to _stay here_. Do you understand me?"

Near didn't argue, instead moving to sit down on the bed that Mello had just awoken from.

Quarrel dragged Mello from the room and down the hallway, careful not to lose his footing when the room shook once more. He walked (_floated_) quickly, not seeming to care that Mello was practically jogging to keep up with him.

"This was unexpected," he explained, speaking quickly as well. "Two days we could have prepared for, but this…"

"Why did you tell Near to stay?" Mello asked, unable to come up with the reason on his own. Wouldn't Near be more useful out in the front lines, battling Holand's army…?

"Without you he wont be able to fight them off," Quarrel explained. "If he leaves that room we might lose him somewhere in the palace and then when it comes time to fight we wont have the both of you together. It's best if he stays there."

Although Mello hummed in agreement, he didn't believe what Quarrel was saying.

"Kamariya is in here," Quarrel said as he stopped in front of a door and pulled it open. "Be quick, please."

Mello nodded and slipped inside.

It was a room much like the one in Glace's castle where the dimensional mirror had been. Kamariya was kneeling in front of it as she beckoned him over in one fluid motion.

"My ability is strength," she informed as he knelt down in front of her. (The room shook a bit but both of them managed to stay up right.) "It will be a great help for you, I'm sure."

"Lets just get this over with," Mello muttered. "So I can kill the bitch and go back home."

"You still want to go home?" The king asked, frowning a bit. "After all this…?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Mello asked.

"Near," she responded.

"I already told you," Mello breathed. "I hate Near."

He didn't sound like he believed the words coming out of his mouth. He could tell by the look Kamariya gave him. But before he could say anything more she passed on the powers to him as the room shook again, both causing him to fall over.

Mello forced himself to stand, his knees shaking beneath him. "What are you doing?" Kamariya asked, trying to stand as well.

"Going back to Near," Mello breathed, stumbling toward the doorway.

"Quarrel can go get him and you can meet downstairs," she breathed.

Mello shook his head. "Something's wrong… I can feel it. I need to get to him."

A crash could be heard off to the side as Mello burst through the door, almost running into Quarrel.

"That was Near's direction…" Quarrel breathed. The words were barely out before Mello was breaking into a run (using his speed ability, of course) toward the room they had left Near in.

He kicked down the door with more force then he could remember having (Kamariya was right when she'd said her power was strength), knocking it off the hinges and making it fly back into a wall, where it burst into several shards of wood.

The whole back wall was gone and there were creatures of all sizes crawling in like cockroaches. In the middle of them was Holand, standing tall with a smirk across her face. Near was struggling in the hold of a rather large troll-looking thing.

"Too slow," Holand teased.

"That's what you think!" Mello screeched, before rushing head on into the group of monsters. He barely got two feet before the smallest ones began to leap on him and push him back, the bigger ones following.

"Too slow" Holand chimed again.

"Near!" Mello yelled, trying to reach out to the albino although he knew it was hopeless. Creatures were still advancing on him and the troll holding Near was turning to leave.

'Mello!' The younger man called out through their bond, trying to reach out to him magically. Mello tried to reach back but hit a barrier that was quickly forming around the other boy.

She was putting him to sleep… she was going to trap him in a dream!

'Mello!'

'Near!'

As the walls of unconsciousness closed around the Albino, Mello could hear one last thing whispered between them.

'I love you, Mello…'

Then he was gone.

--

"We have to get him back."

Quarrel sighed, dropping his head into his hands while Kamariya watched Mello pace the room.

"We can't just rush in," Kamariya said. "Holand has am army-"

"Fuck that!" Mello screamed. "I can't die so let them come!"

"Be rational!" She yelled back. "Your emotions are going to guide you to disaster! Calm down and think about the situation! For one thing, we don't know where they are- for another, who knows what they could do to Near if they got a hold of you too-!"

Groaning, the blonde threw himself into a chair and dropped his head into his hands, mirror Quarrel's position. "This is all my fault," he breathed.

"It isn't your fault," Quarrel counseled. "None of us could have known that she was going to attac-"

"No," Mello interrupted. "It's my fault for letting him die."

"Near's not dead," Kamariya told him.

"Not this Near," Mello explained. "The Near from my world… I let him die. I _watched _him die. If I hadn't done that then none of this would have happened…"

"You don't know that," Quarrel told him. "You don't know how the threats of time work. No one does. If he hadn't died then maybe Kira would have won, who knows? Maybe you would have died and then where would we be? No one can understand how the flow of time works, how decisions change realities- _that's _why there are an infinite number of them. You can't count to infinity, right? You can't understand infinity, so how do you expect to understand infinite realities? None of this is your fault, Mello. Things happen the way they do and we're just along for one of a billion rides."

Shaking his head, Mello leaned back in the chair. "We have to get him back," he breathed.

"We know that," Kamariya responded. "But we need a plan."

"We have to wait until morning," Quarrel informed. "So you can find out where Holand is-"

"He could be dead by morning!" Mello snapped.

"He can't die!" Kamariya retorted.

Mello took a deep breath. He was letting his worry for Near get out of control. Kamariya was right… Near couldn't die, and from what he understood Holand was trying to trap him in a dream like she had done to him. Near was resourceful and he would be fine until morning… (although he wasn't sure he himself would be.) He needed to calm down and they needed to think through a plan so that they wouldn't end up getting Near more hurt then he already was.

He forced himself to calm down. He needed to think… from what he understood Near was on his own in whatever dream world Holand created and Mello would be unable to reach him. But Near was smart and he would probably realize it was a dream quickly. They just needed to get there before Near awoke, so Holand couldn't do anything to him…

When Mello had been in the dream world it had only been a half an hour, but when he had awoken Near said he was asleep for days. That meant that Near would be fine… or at least that's what Mello (hopped) assumed.

--

Mello was right… Near knew it was a dream right away. Then again, considering he had fallen unconscious being torn from Mello by Holand and had awoken next to the blonde, it wasn't a hard deduction to make.

Now he just had to figure out how to wake back up.

"Morning," the fake Mello said with a yawn as he sat up in bed, rubbing at his eyes. It was then that Near noticed the burn that stretched across half of his face.

"Mello is a dream," Near breathed in response, before turning to glance around the room.

It was the small apartment he had been living in, back before… he had bought it when he found out about the brain tumor, knowing he could die at any time and therefore stopping as work as L. (A young girl had been chosen to replace him as he had decided to live out the rest of his days in L.A.)

"So I am," Mello agreed, pulling the blankets back to reveal a very naked (and very detailed… so Holand could take notes from his memories) body. "You are quick… but I would expect no less from someone of your capabilities."

Near stood and approached the dresser, trying to ignore the naked man behind him. Instead, he focused on every object in his room… how everything was just where he left it. Holand was either good, or they were living in his own memory, not something of her creation.

"Tell me," Mello went on, grabbing his clothes off a chair and pulling them on- the one thing that did not ft into Near's memories. "The way you speak…is that normal in your time? To say someone's name in the place of 'you'? Or do you just have something against the word?"

"A speech impairment," Near informed.

"So you aren't perfect."

"But Holand already knew that."

Mello laughed, before approaching and laying his hands on Near's shoulders. The albino flinched. "Oh?" Mello questioned. "You didn't flinch the last few times we touched, Near."

"Mello was not fake, those times," Near reminded.

"I'm not fake," Mello assured. "I was constructed from your memories. Every part of me is what you remember."

"But Mello is not Mello. He may look, feel, sound, smell, even taste like Mello… but on the inside Mello is nothing but a memory controlled by Holand."

"Maybe you're right," Mello confirmed, letting him go. He walked over to the bed and sat down. "But in this dream world, I can be anything you want me to be… I can love you the way the real Mello never will. I can stay with you willingly, the way the real one would never do."

"That may be true," Mello breathed, lifting his eyes to the mirror in front of him. He didn't have a reflection… in this mirror world he had no other half so there should be no one looking back from him. So this wasn't only from his memories, but also from Holand. "But," he continued, turning back to Mello. "I would rather be unloved by the real Mello then pretend to love one I know to be fake."

"A wise choice," Mello said. "One I expected of you, Nate River. However, it wont be that easy. I'm not going to just let you go… You see, there's something I want and you stand in the way of getting it. So as long as you sleep, I remain in control." He smiled, standing. "I gave you the choice of a happy dream, but you chose the nightmare. Now you have to live with your choice."

Then Mello was gone.

--

They'd made a plan.

It wasn't a great one, but Mello hadn't really expected the last battle to have a great plan to go along with it. He'd just wanted to get in, get Holand, and go home- he'd never planned her going after Near…

He should have seen it coming. After all, hadn't he ridiculed Near for the same mistake- not seeing the enemy's attack before it came? Wasn't he the one who kept saying that he should have looked from every angle? Wasn't it him who had watched the albino die with a solemn face (and a video camera) because at the time he had only blamed the boy himself?

But Near wasn't dead… this Near wasn't. And this Near was no boy, not anymore. That boy he had once known was disappearing more and more from his memories everyday, being replaced by this odd version he would have never expected to see, even if Near _had _lived.

Just goes to show you that anyone can change when put in the right situation.

Dying… a brain tumor. Some might have said it was ironic. How long had this been coming? Mello had to wonder. And what about his Near… would he eventually die from the same thing?

Do all worlds suffer the same fate, in the end?

Holand was upsetting the natural balance of thing. Revolting against the way things were done- but Mello couldn't believe this was the first time. Had two others been dragged into such a mess as this before…? He supposed it was pointless to ask if they had succeeded, since he still existed, but one had to wonder- did they hate each other, too? ('Not hate,' he told himself. 'Not anymore.') Were they forced to work in this situation against their wills, like them?

(Were there some alternative versions of themselves doing the same thing this very moment?)

But Near wasn't dead- he had to keep telling himself that. Near couldn't die, this fact had been proven in Mello's case and the albino could be no different. That fall in the river would have killed someone else but he had gotten away remotely unscarred.

Near wasn't dead. Near was alive, somewhere- fast asleep, probably, but alive.

Their plan wasn't great, but it was the best they had on such short notice. Especially since they didn't actually know where Holand was hiding out- the few Mirror kings with magic left and a few other people would distract the main forces while Mello snuck in, got Near, and then focused only on defeating Holand.

He knew the probabilities of it working were extremely low, but then again he had never really been one to follow the probabilities. That was more L's thing- '7.5 percent chance that Mello and Near will work together.' 'Slowly decreasing to 5 percent.' 'Decreased to 2 percent.'

(Mello could remember telling the man, 'It's zero percent. It always has been, always will be,' He couldn't help but wonder what their old teacher would say now, if he could see them.)

Near wasn't dead. Alive. Near was alive.

L wasn't alive. He needed to think of Near, now- Near, laying in a dream world somewhere… Near, who he hated ('You don't hate him', his mind screamed again. 'Not anymore.'), who loved him (And he'd sworn to Linda so many times that Near couldn't feel such an emotion, too…), who _needed _him and who would die if they returned to their world.

'No. Still alive. He's still alive.'

(His mind went to Matt for a split second as he remembered the theme song to Portal and how it ended in those two words. Then he remembered something about cake. The cake was a lie? That was it. What a weird game. He didn't know why Matt was always talking about it…)

Two hours until the sun came up. Two more hours of this thought process.

Groaning, Mello fell back onto the bed. Quarrel had told him to try and get some sleep but it was impossible.

To bad they didn't have sleeping pills here. Then again, he felt like if he swallowed anything he would just throw it right back up, so he supposed it was a good thing.

He tried to think of something else, but it was impossible. Near was dominating his mind, just like he had when they were children- but the difference was that now the thoughts weren't unwelcome and to be honest that bothered him more then anything else. If he had been told just a few weeks ago that he'd be falling for Near he would have laughed his ass off then threw something at Matt when the redhead said 'I knew it.'

Damn stupid, lame, smart-ass Matt. In the end even he was smarter then Mello.

After all, he'd brought up the prospect before.

That was the first time Mello had ever really wanted to kill him.

And Matt had just said, 'There you go, losing your control over him again. I'm telling you, man- that's love.'

Fucking Matt.

But Matt was all he had, back home. A constant presence I his life- despite the fact that they weren't entirely 'best buddies', he supposed he could say that the redhead was his friend… and the only one he had. But he had known the life of L was a lonely one and he had chosen it anyway.

Even if it hadn't chosen him.

One hour left.

What would Matt say when he got home?

Was he gone all this time, or would he wake up and have it be the next morning? Would Matt wake him up by playing some loud, annoying video game way too early in the morning because he was a fucking nocturnal gamer nerd who seemed to only sleep when their case needed him to go out and do something? Would all this be wisped away like a dream and with it any memories of loving Near (he almost choked when his mind didn't snap to defend itself at the thought)? Could he just forget about all this?

He stepped out into the hallway, ready to go prepare for the upcoming sun and with it the ability to see where they could go. Beside his room stood a young man with long hair and a knowing look on his face.

"I told you so," Kenny said.

_You don't love him now_.

"Oh, shut up," Mello breathed.

He turned and walked in the direction of their meeting place.

"It's the other way," Kenny told him.

He turned around and walked in the correct direction of their meeting place.

--

Glace and Fuoco really looked more like each other then he'd first thought. Kayen was indeed the youngest of the mirror kings and probably the shortest. Kamariya was the only woman (now that he knew Seishi was a _boy_), but she was by far the scariest of them all. LiSen still had that polite air about him. Quarrel was really tall, compared to most of them- really skinny, too. And obviously in some sort of relationship with Red, by the way they kept looking at each other. Seishi asked him how his flying was going, then promptly shut his mouth with an embarrassed look. Arret looked like he hadn't slept, but Mello couldn't blame him.

The sun came up.

Hopefully no one blocked it out, or something cliché like that.

--

"Linda."

"Matt?"

"If existence ends, I just want you to know…"

"Yes?"

"That I slept with Near when we were younger."

"…You _what_-"

"Hahaha! I'm joking! God, that was great. You should have heard your voice!"

"Can you _ever _be serious?"

"Probably not."

--

Holand's base wasn't somewhere up in the snow or something, so at least their percentage of winning didn't drop. It didn't exactly go up, either, but only one small favor at a time, Mello supposed.

He didn't remember the walk there. Couldn't remember how long it was or what anyone did. He just knew the next moment he was standing outside a large base in the middle of nowhere with ten other people to an army of thousands.

He couldn't die, but they could.

Tools. They were just tools. Tools to get to the end result- just like Matt had been, just like Near had been. That was the way he had to see it. Tools were useful but dispensable for the end result.

(Mello had to wonder… if in Near's world he had let himself be killed, was that all the other him saw? Was just another tool to get to Kira?)

(Was that all Near had seen?)

(That didn't matter… that wasn't what Near saw now.)

"You two take over there," Kamariya told the brothers and they nodded, floating off.

"Red and I will take over here," Quarrel informed before he and the red haired man left.

"LiSen, you and Seishi take over there," Kamariya continued to direct and the two left. "Arret, you and I will take over there. Kenny, you take over there." She then turned to Kayen and laid a hand on his head. "Sorry, kid- but I don't want you in on this one. You've got your whole life ahead of you."

"But-" The youngest protested.

"Stay here," Kamariya said. Then she was gone.

Kayen pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

He really did look like a mix of Near and Mello.


	11. The last boss

Dream of Mirror Chapter 11 Dream of Mirror

**Ice-Puppet**

**Authors notes**: Sorry about this chapter taking so long! This is actually my third time writing it… lets just say I had serious computer issues and this isn't the only thing I lost. But here it is! At last! And I'm glad- I can't wait to start working on part two!

Chapter 11; The last boss

Mello didn't stand around to see how the battle went down. As soon as he saw an opening he went for it, rushing inside- finding Near after that wasn't a difficult task, considering the albino was laying in the middle of the room he'd run into. And while rational thought processes told him that it was obviously a trap and that he shouldn't rush right into it, his body seemed to move of its own accord.

He didn't let himself stop to be shocked when nothing jumped out to attack him as he fell beside Near and pulled the albino into his arms- alive, Near was alive (of course he was alive, he couldn't _die_), but he was obviously still trapped in the dream because he wasn't waking up, no matter how many times Mello would shake him or call his name.

Deciding he needed to get Near out of there so they could wake him up, regroup, and attack, Mello stood with the younger man in his arms, turning to run away. Instead he found himself falling over onto his butt, Near on top of him.

Kayen was standing behind there, a cold look on his face but an intense look in his eyes.

"Oh god, you scared the shit out of me," Mello breathed, trying to catch his breath.

Kayen began to step forward, lifting a hand out in front of him.

"Kayen?" Mello asked, trying to scoot away as the boy walked closer. He didn't manage to move very far, considering Near's (however small) weight and their position.

The young man continued to approach.

Mello frowned. "Don't tell me… you're working for Holand."

His only answer was a hand being placed on his head, then white.

--

This wasn't his dream.

Unless Kayen had decided to trap him on a dirt road in the middle of a forest in the middle of nowhere, Mello knew instantly that he wasn't in his own dream.

A little boy stepped out of a few trees and onto the road, staring off in the opposite direction of Mello- a little _albino _boy. Mello was pretty sure he had never seen Near standing on a dirt road wearing something other then all white, not to mention the fact that he was only about seven or eight (which was how old he had been when he'd come to Wammy's).

So he was in Near's dream. Some sort of memories, most likely.

Nearby something exploded. A few moments later, Mello could hear much louder explosions behind him.

Okay… so a bad memory.

Suddenly they were in the middle of the SPK headquarters and Mello could see himself on the screens, walking up with Halle, a gun to her head- another 'bad memory'? Is this what Near had been seeing this entire time…?

"Let him in," Near instructed. The blonde haired man pressed a button and Mello watched as he himself stepped inside.

So this was the other him… the resemblance was one he wasn't sure was amazing, considering he was looking at _himself_. This other him had the same burn he had back in his own world, as well as the same coat he wore all of the time. It was like watching his own memories through Near… it was somewhat creepy.

"I want the picture you have of me," the other him demanded.

"Of course," Near answered, pulling said photograph out of the front of his shirt. "No copies have been made. I can't say for certain, but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be killed by a death note."

Although Mello knew how his own story ended, this reality was different. This Mello would die- he wasn't sure how (Near might have mentioned it, but he couldn't remember), but it was probably by Death Note. Of course, Near didn't know this at this time, but it was still ironic.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the other him pulled out a gun and pointed it at Near, ignoring the guns that pointed at him instantly. "Near! I am not a tool for you to use to solve your puzzle!"

Mello sighed. He didn't want to see these memories- although he was pretty sure Near didn't want to see them either.

Wait- had he just… thought of Near's pain while thinking of his own?

Oh god.

_I'm telling you, man. That's love._

Leave it to Near to ruin his life and then make him fall in love.

Letting out a frustrated yell, Mello threw his hands up. He was about to storm around and throw a hissy fit when he realized that Near had turned to look at him.

"You can hear me," Mello breathed.

The memory changed again.

He was standing in a hallway, one from not that long ago. Sure enough he heard his own voice say, "Near. What happened last night… it was-"

Near cut him off. "Just sex, no romantic attachments, and not going to happen again. Got it." A few seconds later he said, as opened the door and stepped out of the room, "Red wants us."

Then he walked out.

Mello followed him.

He was about to try and get the other's attention again, but then Near lifted his hands to his face and wiped at his eyes. It was then that the blonde realized he was crying- Near. _Crying_.

What the shit.

Was this the real Near, or had Near cried that day? Mello couldn't tell, but the image was one that seriously disturbed him- he needed to get Near out of here and he needed to do it _now_.

But how? How was he supposed to snap him out of a nightmare? Make him happy? How the hell was he supposed to do that-

Oh.

_No way_.

He couldn't say those words, even if he knew they were true.

There was no way he could say them…

'If you don't,' his mind taunted. 'Then existence will end.'

'No way,' he argued back.

'Near will end too.'

Mello groaned. Why did people keep telling him that?!

There had to be another way… but there was no time to think of one! This was the only thing he could do- he had to say… _that_.

Taking a deep breath, Mello forced the words out.

"I love you too, Near."

The albino lifted his head from his hands and turned around, a surprised look on his face.

"I love you too," Mello repeated, finding it a lot easier to say the second time around.

"Mello…" Near breathed, wiping at his eyes again. "Mello is… not real."

"Look at me," Mello instructed, waving at himself. "I'm the real deal, Near. This hasn't happened before. It's not a memory, not a nightmare. I'm here."

"Mello is lying!" Near accused. "Mello would never say that…"

"You're right," Mello told him, stepping forward. He reached out a hand and wiped at the tears on Near's cheek. "I wouldn't. Even though it's true. But I had to get your attention somehow and we need to find a way out of here, so I figured I'd try. And, hell- at least this way you know in case existence ends."

Near stared at him for a moment before he laughed a little, lifting a hand to take Mello's off of his cheek. "Okay," he breathed. "Mello is Mello… because I don't think Holand could think that up."

"Lets find a way out of here," Mello said, taking Near's hand in his own. "Then we can kill this bitch." He turned to try and see if there was maybe some sort of exit, but Near pulled him back,

"And after?" The younger man asked.

"After?" Mello repeated.

"After Mello and I kill her," Near explained. "After Mello and I are done in this world."

Mello gave him an annoyed look. "Can't we talk about that later…?"

"No," Near answered, pulling his hand away. "Now."

"After," Mello breathed, thinking about it. He didn't want to stay in this world… he wanted a car and a computer, his technology and his clothes and maybe even his scar back. He wanted to see Matt again, to visit his own Near's grave- to call up Linda and ask how she was doing. But he didn't want to leave Near.

"After," he said again, taking Near's hand once more. "You come back to my reality with me."

"Can we do that?" Near asked, although he was smiling.

"Fuck the rules," Mello informed in a voice that gave no room for argument.

Near smiled even more. He then walked past Mello and pulled the blonde along after.

As they walked up to one of the two stair cases (there was one on each side of the inn), the world went white.

--

When Mello awoke he realized he was chained against a wall.

Well, fuck.

A glance around proved it to be a dungeon of some sort with torture devices of all kinds- they even had a Chinese water torture device!- and, sure enough, Near was in there too. Strapped to a table.

Double fuck.

The albino had already woken up, but he was staring up at the ceiling. Or- wait, no, Holand was up there, claws hanging on and wings spread out.

Triple fuck.

"I see your boyfriend has joined us," she told Near. She then glanced at Mello and asked, "Oh…? Not going to deny it, this time?"

Mello didn't give her the satisfaction of an answer.

Holand dropped down, landing on the table on top of Near, one foot on either side of his small body. "Heh," she giggled. "If you weren't so skinny, you would have been crushed. Too bad."

She hopped off the table and reached into a hilt on her belt, removing two daggers that Mello recognized instantly as the ones Aireio had given him. "How fitting," she purred, fingering the tip of the blade only to pull her hand away and sow Mello the blood. "That your own daggers will be the one to cause your boyfriend pain. But don't worry…" With a smirk, she turned and approached Near once more. "He can't die- which means he'll just remain in pain!"

Mello almost bit his tongue as she brought both daggers down, stabbing through Near's wrists where the chains held him to the table. But, like before, the daggers past right through him- and, luckily for him (unluckily for Holand), the passing daggers allowed him to pull his wrists free from the chains.

Before Holand could blink Near was conjuring a magic spell right into her stomach, sending her flying backward. Near nabbed the daggers off of the table and ran over to Mello, stabbing him in the same place and allowing him to pull his wrists out.

"We would have been fucked if I didn't like myself," Mello informed him.

Near let out a hiss of pain in response as Holand swiped at him with her claws. "It wont be that easy!" She hissed, going to swipe again, only to get a fiery punch to the face.

"I should hope not," Mello informed. "Then this wouldn't be a very epic battle."

"It's not going to be, since it isn't epic if the 'bad guy' wins!" Holand screeched, rushing at the two of them. She ended up running into a wall as Mello grabbed Near and sprinted away quickly.

"It's technically ten against one," Mello told her. "You should just give up."

"More like four against one," Holand responded. "Since day and night aren't attacking and I don't think your little boyfriend has it in him to kill anyone himself. No, from what I've seen of his memories, he lets other people take care of that for him."

"Wrong," Near informed, before conjuring up a blizzard quicker then Mello had ever seen him do before and slamming it into Holand. It took her out and the wall behind her, sending her flying off of a cliff that had apparently been behind the castle.

Sadly, Holand could fly.

She flew at them again, only to be thrown back out by a zap of electricity from Near.

"That ones new," Mello whistled, impressed.

Holand flew in again, landing a bit away from them. "That's not fair!" She whined. "Every time I try and attack you guys knock me back! Not fair, not fair, not fair!"

"Oh, like tying us to a table and trying to torture us is fair!" Mello snapped.

"I'm the bad guy!" Holand defended. "I don't have to be fair!"

"News flash," Mello bent over and grabbed hold of the table. He used the power Kamariya had given him, strength, to pull it out of the ground with ease. "I don't have to be fair either!"

He threw the table at her but she managed to fly back and dodge it.

"Missed!" she teased, sticking out her tongue.

The Chinese water torture device hit dead on, though.

"You bitch!" Holand hissed, landing on the ground. One of her wings had broken.

"Lets knock her off the edge," Mello said, readying a fireball.

A sharp pain shot through his back, sending him stumbling forward. It took him a few moments to realize it was a sword that now stuck out through the front of his chest.

"Mello!" Near cried.

"Master Holand!" The man who had thrown the sword yelled, rushing forward.

Near and Mello both stared at him in shock.

"Yagami-" Mello began.

"Light?" Near breathed.

"If Holand is Amane Misa, I'm going to shoot myself," Mello informed.

"How did you know my real name?!" Holand gaped.

Both Mello and Near turned to stare at her.

"I'm kidding," she informed.

"Do you know me?" The man (_Yagami Light_) asked.

Before they could answer, however, Holand attacked Near, tackling him to the ground.

Mello jumped at her, temporarily forgetting the wound in his chest. He pulled Holand off and threw her, sadly not far enough that she fell out of the hole but he effectively got her off of Near, which was what he was attempting to do.

The pain decided that it was a good time to remind him that he had a sword sticking out of his chest.

He doubled over in pain, landing on the ground next to Near.

"Mello?" Near asked, crawling over to him.

"You have to defeat her," Mello wheezed, noticing the corners of his vision turning black.

"I can't. Not without Mello."

"Near, you _have_ to."

Near bit his bottom lip and glanced at Holand as she stood. He then reached over and took hold of Mello's hand.

'Give me your powers,' he said over their bond, face completely serious.

Mello didn't have the energy to put up an argument, so he just grabbed hold of Near's hand tightly and concentrated on their bond. He felt a pull and the last thing he saw as he passed out was a wave of magic exploding from their hands, taking Holand with it but leaving Yagami unharmed.

--

When he awoke he was lying Next to Near, back in the castle- existence hadn't ended, so that had to mean Near had beaten her.

It must have been night because he couldn't feel anything or anyone around him- which meant he had to sit up and check to see if Near was okay.

Oh. Right. Near took his powers.

The albino didn't seem to have a scratch on him, but he looked like he was pretty worn out, even though he was asleep. Mello wondered how long they had been out and if Near had awoken yet.

"You've been out for about six hours and he hasn't woken up yet."

He jumped, turning to see Kenny standing against a wall, arms crossed and braid hanging over his shoulder.

"We've been taking shifts watching you, waiting for you to wake up," Kenny explained, answering Mello's next question. "All of us are still alive although Q is badly injuring and has been in surgery since we got back, Seishi got stabbed in the shoulder, Arret broke his arm, and Kamariya had to cut off most of her hair in order to escape a monster that had grabbed her. The rest of us just have a few bruises, although Red is pretty much going insane with worry."

Mello glanced over at Near quietly.

"He's probably just exhausted," Kenny told him. "That wave of magic the two of you shot off was pretty powerful. It wiped out the entire army."

Mello whistled, impressed. "That wasn't me," he explained. "That was all Near."

"What?" Kenny deadpanned.

"He took all of the powers," Mello explained.

The look that Kenny gave him told him pretty flat out that Near wasn't supposed to do that.

"Shit," the brunette stated.

"Did he know he wasn't supposed to do that?" Mello asked.

"Yep," Kenny answered.

"Fucking _Near_," Mello groaned.

"No," Kenny laughed. "You're the one doing that."

He barely managed to dodge the pillow that Mello threw at him.

--

It was quite some time before Near awoke- another four or so hours. Quarrel finally came out of surgery but the doctors said everything was up to fate now, the next twenty-four hours were critical and they didn't know if he would live or die.

Mello instantly thought of Near and the brain tumor.

Did he still have it? Would he die if they went back to Mello's world? Mello didn't think he could handle Near dying again- especially now, after all of this.

He didn't want to lose him. And maybe that should have bothered him, but it didn't- which also should have bothered him, but didn't. Funny how people can change, isn't it?

Kenny had been right about Red freaking out. The redhead was pacing outside of Q's room, pulling all of his hair out and biting a hole through his lip. Kamariya didn't look half bad with shorter hair. The doctors said Seishi would be perfectly fine. Arret said he'd broken his arm before so it wasn't that big of an issue.

Mello was inwardly glad that no one had died.

No one had seen Kayen.

Amador stopped by to say hello and congratulations- to Mello, it was about this point that he realized that it was _over _and they could go _home_- he also told Mello that their connection had grown strong and was no longer torn. Mello of course didn't need Amador to tell him, but he supposed it was nice to hear.

When Near awoke he was extremely out of it. He lay there with his eyes half open for about half an hour before finally trying to get up. It was then that Kamariya noticed he was awake and called for Mello. She left them alone, closing the door behind herself.

"Hey," Mello greeted, sitting on the bed next to Near. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I haven't slept in tree years," Near replied.

"So normal, then?" Mello joked.

Near gave him a sleepy smile. "I'm not L."

"You look like it right now," Mello informed.

Near's response was to yawn, putting a hand over his mouth.

"I'm guessing since existence hasn't ended that Mello and I won?" Near asked.

Mello frowned. "Yes."

Near stared at him. "Why is Mello frowning?"

"Why did you take my powers away?" Mello questioned. "When you knew you weren't supposed to."

Near frowned as well. "Like I said… I couldn't do it without Mello. Mello was about to pass out and I couldn't think of anything else to do."

Mello sighed. "Still… oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter. We'll probably lose our powers anyway, when we go home."

"Yep," Near replied.

The albino fell back on the bed and Mello climbed over him, flopping down. The blonde cringed a little when Near curled up next to him, but he relaxed after a few moments.

"Did Mello really mean what he said?" Near asked.

"I did," Mello confirmed.

"So Mello loves me?" Near asked.

"Yep," Mello agreed. "But don't make me say it repeatedly."

"I wont," Near told him with a nod.

"Get some rest," Mello said. "You need it."

Near closed his eyes and fell right to sleep.

--

"He wants to go _home_?"

Near nodded.

Kamariya gave him an annoyed look. "Well, considering you took on all ten powers yourself, I don't see a problem with it. But-" Her face was extremely serious. "He _does _know that you can't go home, right?"

Near nodded. "Yes. He knows."

"And he still wants to go home?"

"Yes."

She frowned. "You're lying."

Near kept his face straight. "He's told me many times that he doesn't want to stay here."

"But he doesn't know that you can't come with him!"

"Just send him home."

Kamariya groaned. "Fine. _Fine_. But only because I can't stand him."

--

Quarrel had lived. Mello was glad, as was Near- he was still very out of it, but the doctors said he should be fine. Red had disappeared into Q's room and hadn't come out.

"So we can go home?" Mello asked.

"Yep," Near replied.

"We should probably say good-bye to everyone," Mello hummed in uncertainty.

"I already did," Near informed.

"Oh," Mello breathed. "Okay."

"Kayen is going to send us home," Near informed as they started walking away from the room they had shared.

"Kayen?" Mello asked, remembering how the young boy had sent him into Near's dream.

"Mmhmm," Near nodded.

They walked quietly the rest of the way, until they had come to yet another large and empty room. Kayen stood in the middle alone, a sad smile across his young features.

"Hello white one," he greeted. "Dark one. Ready to return home?"

"Damn straight," Mello answered confidently, knowing he was more then ready to get out of this place.

With a small nod, Kayen turned around and lifted his hands. "This portal will lead you straight back to where you came from in your world, dark one," he informed as waves of magic began to swirl in front of him and slowly expanded, revealing a bedroom.

"Holy shit!" Came a voice from the other side of the portal.

"Matt?" Mello breathed, happy to hear that voice again.

Just as he was stepping through he felt two soft hands on his back, before a gentle push sent him stumbling to his knees. It was then all too obvious what Near was doing.

"No!" Mello protested, trying to get up. But it was too late- the portal was already closing.

The last words he heard from Near were, "I love you, Mello. I'm sorry."

--

He had, after all, promised Obi he would see her after he had saved the world. And that was exactly why he was back in that small little village he had started in, walking up and knocking on the little girl's front door. It didn't take long for her to answer, her pigtails bobbing and her face excited.

"It's the white one!" She told someone in the background.

"I told you I would come see you, Obi," he answered, stepping in as she pulled the door open.

"White one, I want you to meet my father!"

Near turned, facing the man standing off to his right. His voice dried up for a few seconds before he managed to breath out, "Oh, my…"

**The End**

Notes: I know this chapter doesn't explain a lot of your questions… but I promise they'll all be explained in the sequel, which I am working on right now!


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